Peninsula parents skeptical of move

Downtown residents don't like the idea of moving students out of peninsula schools without a plan or time frame for when they'll return.

Charleston County school leaders encountered a more hostile and vocal crowd at James Simons Elementary on Wednesday night during the second of four public hearings being held at the district's most seismically vulnerable schools. Engineering reports released two weeks ago show some of the buildings housing Buist Academy, James Simons, Memminger Elementary and Charleston Progressive Academy would begin to fail in a magnitude 5.0 earthquake, and the superintendent plans to recommend to the county board that those students be moved temporarily to safer buildings as soon as this summer.

But the district doesn't have money set aside to fix those buildings, and officials aren't sure when they'd be able to secure those funds.

School leaders wanted to meet with each affected school community to explain the reports in greater detail and to let parents ask questions. James Simons was the first neighborhood school they visited, and some of those in the roughly 80-person crowd took the opportunity to express distrust and skepticism. Some said they fear student safety isn't the true motive for wanting to move students out of downtown buildings, and they believe the district wants to close schools and sell off those properties.

Beverly Gadson-Birch with the Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance told district administrators that everyone present was concerned about students' safety but they didn't want to rush to a decision. Anyone who lives in Charleston knows earthquakes have happened here, and school leaders have known for a while about these buildings' instability, she said.

"Stop doing things piecemeal," she said. "Give us a comprehensive plan. These teachers and parents are not pawns. They want to know the whole truth of what you're doing and when you do it and whether the children will come back. Don't give them half truths."

Schools Superintendent Nancy McGinley said it was her intention to return children to the peninsula as quickly as possible and to keep the schools intact and viable in their temporary locations. She repeatedly has said she's most concerned about students' safety and that's why she's asking the board to relocate students.

Latrice Fields, parent of a second- and third-grader at James Simons, said after the meeting that she came to find out why the district seemed to be pushing to relocate students as soon as possible without a plan for when they could return. She left with the same question. She said no one explained why, after decades of use by students, the buildings were now being declared unsafe, and she believes the district intends to close more downtown schools.

"I'm all for safety," she said. "The whole thing is, why all of a sudden is it such a rush?"

Reach Diette Courrégé at 937-5546 or dcourrege@postandcourier.com.