GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Grand Rapids Public Schools (GRPS) held class Tuesday despite freezing temperatures and the district not being fully prepared to handle the snow and cold.
A mother of GRPS students says her two kids are both autistic and nonverbal and attend school at Dickenson Elementary. The mom tells FOX 17 she's grateful the district heard her loud and clear when she came to them concerned about cold classroom temperatures.
“I had to be a voice for my kids because they can’t say anything,” the GRPS parent, who spoke to FOX 17 on the condition of anonymity, said.
The mother tells FOX 17 she felt she had to use her voice to speak up for her kids when she was made aware of what she says was frigid temperatures in GRPS classrooms. The mother's first call was to the superintendent's office.
The district admits that Tuesday was a rough day. Executive Director of Communications Leon Hendrix says had the district realized the conditions of some of their buildings, they would have made a different decision and called a snow day.
“Some of our buildings did not have the snow removal done that we would normally like to have done. Some of our boilers were not keeping up with the extreme cold that we were experiencing,” Hendrix said.
Educators and administrators alike stepped in to fill in gaps.
“We heard teachers shoveling; we heard teachers and administrators pushing vehicles that got stuck in the snow. It really is a testament of making sure our young people are able to learn,” Hendrix said.
The Grand Rapids mom FOX 17 spoke with said her kids wore coats all day Tuesday at Dickenson Elementary.
“I was just so concerned. I was concerned for the kids and the teachers. Why should anyone be in this building that doesn’t have heat and it’s two degrees outside?” the mother said.
The mom who talked with FOX 17 says her kids wore their winter coats in the classroom all day on Tuesday.
“That’s not how we want to welcome our young people into our school buildings. We expect our children to learn in environments that are warm, safe, comfortable, places where they can be their best selves,” Hendrix said.
The district shared those concerns. The superintendent addressed the issue with parents in a letterhome to families on Wednesday.
The mom who spoke with FOX 17 says by Thursday, things were much better at her children's school. She says she feels her voice and the voice of others were heard.
“They fixed it. I’m glad they actually listened to me,” the mom said. “I feel like they really care about my kids' education. It feels good. They can go back to school now,” she said.
GRPS says they had multiple buildings impacted with difficulties with either the ability to heat schools properly or plow snow on Tuesday.
