Sharon Christa Mcauliffe Elementary School

To be honest, I’m pretty frustrated with the situation at McAuliffe lately. The chronic absenteeism here is over 30%, and you can really feel it in the classrooms. It feels like there’s always a bug going around and because the school is so crowded, if one kid gets sick, the whole grade follows. I’ve noticed the building feels really stuffy too—I actually saw on a recent board agenda they were having to rush-order parts for the HVAC system and valves, which explains why the air quality feels so off in the winter. It’s also really tough to get any individual wellness support for my son because the student-to-counselor ratio is way too high. The staff works hard, but they are clearly stretched thin and playing catch-up with the budget. Between the old facility issues and the low attendance, I’m just not seeing the 'wellness culture' they promise. It feels more like they’re just trying to keep their heads above water.

Honestly, I’m pretty frustrated with the health environment at McAuliffe lately. The chronic absenteeism is a massive red flag—it’s over 30%, which tells you everything you need to know about how many kids are home sick or just not making it in. It feels like there’s always something going around the classrooms, and the communication from the office about illness outbreaks is basically non-existent. You just kind of find out when half the class is missing. Also, the building feels pretty neglected; I've seen issues with the cleaning equipment being broken in the board reports, and you can really tell when you walk through the halls. It doesn't feel like the cleanest or healthiest spot for the kids to be all day. It’s hard to focus on 'wellness' when the basics like attendance and hygiene aren't being handled well.