My son, a second grader at Conneaut, wants you to vote NO on the consolidated elementary building. We relocated the summer of 2017. He attended kindergarten and first grade at a K-3 building with a student body of almost 900. We moved back this summer and I was anxious to see what he’d think of the smaller size without central air, an iPad for each student, and his friends.
EVERY SINGLE DAY he greets me with a happy face. That face fell when he asked what the One Community, One School signs mean. He prefers school here because, “It’s smaller and easier to get around, the recess is longer, and they get to choose where to sit at lunch.” He tells me often that he loves lunch and second recess. At his old school, there were assigned lunch seats. In kindergarten, I spoke with the principal and questioned why after two weeks they no longer had a second recess. He stated there were too many schedules to consider. My son still has a second recess most days. Many studies show that more free time and play during the school is very important to children’s learning and mental well-being.
At his former school, he would often get off the bus and tell me he was stressed out and needed time alone. It’s awful to hear your child utter those words. He loved music class last year, but PREFERS music here on a cart. Bravo, Mrs. Frysinger for making great use of limited resources.
Drive by the proposed site and current schools. Observe the surroundings. Those wonderful experiences such as walking field trips will be gone forever! How quickly and smoothly will a fire drill or real disaster play out? Where will 1500 students go? How fast will our children reach safety? Do you want our children attending the largest elementary school in the state? Comparing our district to neighboring schools with much smaller student bodies isn’t a good comparison. My child attended a well-organized school of 900. I can’t imagine 1500.
As a parent, former educator, and community member, I’m voting NO and urge you to vote NO. Bigger doesn’t equal better. This is NOT about property value, taxes, or opposing a few crass individuals. We need to develop a better plan to rebuild and renovate our current schools, instead of settling for what is on the ballot.
Katy Daily
Bowling Green
