Kate S Buckingham Special Education Center

I honestly have mixed feelings about Buckingham. Since it's a special education center, you'd expect top-tier health support, but the communication is just not there. The building feels pretty dated and the ventilation is definitely an issue, especially during flu season when it feels like once one kid gets sick, the whole classroom follows. It’s frustrating because our kids have higher health needs, yet it feels like the school is struggling to keep up with basic cleanliness and staffing. There’s a lot of talk about closure and relocation too, which makes it feel like the district has just given up on maintaining the facility. I wish I could say I felt 100% confident sending my child there every day, but the environment just doesn't feel as healthy or well-supported as it should be for a specialized school.

Honestly, I’m pretty frustrated with the situation at Buckingham right now. My kid is here because of their special needs, and while the staff is okay, the attendance rates are super low—sometimes it feels like half the class is out sick. The chronic absenteeism is really high (way over 25%), which makes me worry about how much they’re actually cleaning the sensory equipment and common areas. Communication about when bugs are going around is hit or miss, and it feels like the school is struggling to keep up with the basic health needs of students who are already medically fragile. I expected a lot better care and a cleaner environment for a specialized center.