The failure of District 11 to keep Jenkins Middle School stable has taken the entire city by storm. From an outsider’s view, it seems undeniably odd that such a thing could happen to such a neighborhood establishment. How could this have happened? Why did this happen? How does this affect the students?

The answer, in blunt terms, is gross negligence. It is evident looking at the school’s history that problems existed for a long time, and the status of the building being shut down by a fire marshall is not a natural occurrence. With giant cracks in the walls, crooked doorways, and overall obvious irregularities in the flooring, students have been expecting this tragedy for years and quite possibly even decades. The school has been in obviously problematic condition since at least 2000, and combined with rowdy middle schoolers, it was a possible safety hazard, especially considering its violations of the Fire Code.

Ryland Winterbottom, a junior, stated, “I think the district mishandled [the situation]. They had enough time to fix it and instead bought Yondr pouches. The public knew before they did, and it feels like D11 doesn’t care and the Jenkins and Doherty situation shows that.”

D11 simply seems as if they do not care about the rampant criticism of their choices. Superintendent Gaal even stated this in an email to families.  He stated, “It’s truly remarkable to see our entire community come together to support the relocation of Jenkins Middle School to Doherty High School and Russell Middle School. This collaboration demonstrates the strength, resilience, and care that defines District 11.”

While this situation does show an exceeding amount of resilience among staff and students, not mentioning the cons is appalling. Sparta and Jenkins have never been closer (literally), yet the academic experiences of all students are faltering as a result of this decades-long problem. Some teachers now have cramped, sometimes loud classrooms. Some classes meet in the library still while the district tried to get permits to close in Senior Commons. Jenkins was shoved into only two hallways, and it is evident it was planned abruptly and, honestly, rather poorly. Students know that the administrators are trying, and they thank them. But they can still acknowledge their strife.

However, on a more positive note, some of the changes have been running a bit more smoothly than expected. Sarah Bailey, an English teacher at Doherty, stated, “I think all students impacted will be resilient. It will take time for both Jenkins and Doherty students to adjust, but most will come to terms with the change and make the best of it! I believe the students from Jenkins will recover academically and socially once they settle into their new environment. It takes time to get used to change…”

While the circumstances of the decision are, to put it rather bluntly, irresponsible, all parties involved have evolved to show more compassion towards each other. The Jenkins and Doherty staff cannot be blamed for the chaos of the decision. It has been made exceedingly clear that the source of the problems were the architects and school board responsible for building upkeep. Gross negligence in this form is unforgivable, especially within a school setting. It is understandable that they were thinking short-term, but when it comes to the lives of children, greed and negligence are deplorable.