High School View

As most of you know, the Rockville Centre school district is asking residents to approve a bond to fix current safety issues and improve the education of South Side High School students. This bond will address and solve many critical issues at the school. One of the most important issues it will tackle is the lack of security in our school due to the use of the portable classrooms.

The portables located around the main building of South Side High School were originally installed to serve as a temporary solution to a growing student body. They have since become a permanent fixture. They are over 40 years old; some of them are even secondhand, after being discarded by Watson Elementary School.

The portables are made up of small conjoining rooms. The walls separating the rooms are extremely thin. Class discussions can be heard between rooms. Some have sinks, cabinets and structural poles that are distracting and block the view of the board, which is already limited due to the size of the room. Some of the rooms are so small that they are packed to the extent that the students' desks almost block the door, creating a fire hazard. Rooms 501 and 502 are right next to the practice field. The classes that take place in these rooms are disrupted by physical education classes that practice on the field and by lawn maintenance services.

Since these classrooms are located outside, students and teachers are constantly late for class. This makes it impossible for teachers to start their lessons on time.Students and teachers also have to worry about the weather, making sure they have a jacket in case it is cold or if it is raining. When it does rain, people coming into the building from the outside classroom drag in water, making the hallways and staircases wet and slippery.

There are two groups of portables located south of the main building, while rooms 501 and 502 are located in the rear/northeast end of the school. To get to these classrooms students have to leave the main building. They have four doors to choose from to get to their classroom. These doors must remain unlocked at all times during the school day, in case a student or teacher needs to go to the bathroom, locker or nurse, for example. These doors are not watched or guarded at all times. All of the other doors at the school are locked or have security guards stationed near them, like the main entrance. In a worst-case scenario, where an intruder gets on to South Side's campus, that person could gain access to the main building through these unlocked doors. An intruder might even get into the portable classrooms where there are no security guards whatsoever. Students and teachers there would be at a greater risk due to the physical isolation from the main building and the absence of security personnel.

The school bond referendum would provide funds to demolish and remove the portables located south of the main building and the additional outside classrooms. With the new space, a modern library/media center and 11 new classrooms will be added. Rooms 501 and 502 will be relocated during the construction period, and in their place a new two-story addition will be added, with six new classrooms. This addition will be connected to the main building with hallways, which will create a courtyard and new space for lockers. The additional hallway with the new lockers will decrease hallway congestion.

For more information, visit www.rvcschools.org and scroll down to the bottom of the homepage where you can click on “South Side High School Renovations” and “South Side High School 2008-2009 Compact Committee Recommendations.” There you can read more about the proposed renovations and hopefully the information will help you make an educated decision about the special vote on Dec. 17. If approved, these renovations are going to help in the academic growth of all of our students and ensure their safety.