What I say here is based on a message I wrote to the board members of Hannibal Public School, though I made some changes to protect my child’s privacy in today’s digital world.
I was going to read my letter at the board meeting, but since public comments won’t happen until after the vote, I thought it was important to do so now:
I’m writing not only as a worried parent and member of the community, but also as someone who has seen directly how Eugene Field Elementary helps students in ways that change their lives.
I want the board to think again about their plan to close Eugene Field.
This school is very important to many kids in our district, and other schools just don’t have the resources to help them.
Eugene Field is an important part of our town and its neighborhood. Students can walk to school from this area, which makes them feel free, safe, and connected.
A lot of families walk to school for more than just the convenience of it. It’s about making friends, setting up daily routines, and making school feel like home.
When you close this school, you don’t just shut down a building. You’re taking away that important, local access, which hurts low-income families the most because they often can’t afford to get to work every day. When attendance is already a big issue for the school, this closing doesn’t make sense.
Also, Eugene Field has a great behavioral support team that helps kids who are having trouble do well. This team gives students who are having behavior problems important, expert help.
If these students go to different schools, they might not get as much help, which could make it harder for them to do well in school.
Our district’s values of fairness and inclusion are not upheld when students are moved around without being sure they’ll have the same tools and help.
Even if not everyone in our society agrees that fairness and inclusion are important parts of human dignity, these ideas can’t be changed in a public school that is supposed to help all kids.
On a personal level, I think about how things might have been different for my family if we had known about Eugene Field’s tools sooner.
As an elementary school student, my son had a lot of behavior problems. Even though his old school worked really hard, they couldn’t give him the expert help he needed.
It had already taken a toll on our emotions by the time we learned about the tools at Eugene Field. We were able to move forward with online learning, but I wish we had known about Eugene Field’s help much earlier, maybe in second, third, or even fourth grade.
Also, my job gave me flexibility and help as we switched to online school, which is something that most working parents don’t get.
Taking these kids away from a place that can help them will almost certainly hurt their growth, health, and schoolwork. They won’t get the same level of help at other schools, which isn’t their fault.
This could cause them to fall through the cracks and not be able to do well in places that don’t have the right staff, money, or tools to meet their needs.
When Eugene Field is closed, students are not only forced to move, but they also lose the chance to fully feel understood, supported, and respected.
This move would take away kids’ fair chance to do well and be in a place that knows them, their lives, and how to help them grow. I’ve been there and know what it’s like to look for help only to find it after a lot of damage has been done.
That’s not fair to other families, so please don’t close the school where kids like mine can do well.
I want the board to think of other options that would keep Eugene Field open. The school has an effect on more than just funds and test scores. It gives children who might otherwise be struggling in silence hope, security, and growth that can’t be replaced.