I find our state Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education Jeffrey Riley to show the attitude that we in the western half of the commonwealth, unfortunately, have come to expect of our Boston officials, in his recent decision to support the closing of the Warwick Community School.
In the May 8 Recorder article he is quoted as acknowledging the concerns of Warwick parents and educators that the bus ride to Northfield will include an 8.5-mile stretch of narrow, winding road in poor condition with a lack of cellphone coverage, but that “regrettably, that is not an uncommon condition in rural areas of the Commonwealth.” The solution he is able to sleep with, apparently, is that “the school district should take this up with municipal officials.” This I find as nothing more than an “Oh, well …” attitude, and is certainly not good enough for the children of rural Massachusetts.
Putting elementary students, especially those in third grade and below, on a bus for 45 minutes each way, every day to school, is not only possibly a risk to their physical well-being, but is certainly detrimental for their emotional and social well-being. What kind of commissioner of education dismisses these issues with such callous disregard?
I also find this closing of elementary schools to show a very costly lack of imagination and foresight. Isn’t it obvious to others, especially now with the pandemic accelerating the use of work-from-home, that, once the commonwealth finally succeeds in bringing reliable broadband to our rural countryside, that urbanites currently unable to afford homes will make their way to Western Mass. in ever increasing numbers?
To our hard-working legislative delegation: Is there nothing more Warwick can do to right this wrong? Is there a way you can help prod the commissioner to take a closer look?
Susanae Glovacki
Greenfield