Concerns raised about construction at Rimes Early Learning Center in Leesburg
How public schools handle onsite construction can provide teachable moments for school officials, teachers and parents alike.
A Lake County Schools staffer, who has asked to have their name withheld from publication for fear of retaliation for being a whistleblower, has brought up safety concerns concerning construction at the Rimes Early Learning Center in Leesburg.
According to its website, Rimes, 3101 School View St., serves students in prekindergarten, Exceptional Student Education, voluntary prekindergarten and kindergarten through second grade.
Here's what the employee reported to the Daily Commercial in early March: "Several staff members have alerted administration to our continued concerns and have enlisted the support of our local union with no clear resolution. To my knowledge, parents are not aware of the extent of work that is being done following a plumbing issue that knocked out toilets last Wednesday as well as water supply to several buildings (including our cafeteria)."
The email message went on to say that a communications line was cut during repairs. This "knocked out phones and internet, leaving no way for teachers to alert administration to any safety concerns."
The employee expressed urgent concern over heavy equipment and several trenches that have been dug in the middle of the campus, blocking some walkways, claiming that there was "often no more than some yellow caution tape preventing students from entering the work area."
Untreated wastewater standing in the trenches was also mentioned.
"It’s especially concerning as we have a very large pre-K and special needs population," the staffer added.
In the following days, school board members visited the site to assess the situation. Construction continued until spring break. The trenches have been covered up, and toilets, water, internet, phones and security badges were functional again.
Construction continued on campus to replace air conditioning systems and some outdoor sidewalks and walkways.
"A circular saw was seen yesterday," the employee told us in mid-March, noting that it was "left out where Pre-K students are picked up with no one around it."
"Many fences are down with temporary plastic fencing put up," the employee added, alleging that "parents were never informed of the conditions on campus, and given the ages of our students and the number of students with disabilities, most students would not be able to tell their parents."
The Daily Commercial relayed the employee's comments and concerns to Lake County Schools and asked for a response.
"Our team was working on a scheduled roof replacement project at Rimes, where all students and staff were relocated to another building," Lake County Schools spokesperson Sherri Owens said.
In other Lake County Schools news: Meet Mount Dora High ag teacher Cindy Bellamy, Lake County Teacher of the Year
"A drain pipe failed and an emergency repair was needed," Owens added. "The ground became saturated, but thankfully there was no sewage involved. We responded immediately, and then a fiber line was cut. Our phone lines and computers were impacted, but the school maintained communication with district administration and our security teams through cellphones.
"Students and staff remained safe and protected throughout the process. Potable water, food and accessible restrooms were available all while crews worked. The site has since been cleaned, the repairs have been made and operations are running smoothly."
The employee who reported the concerns about the Rimes construction sent the Daily Commercial a list of requests for Rimes officials and school board:
Testing/mitigation of soil around where the sewer backup was located to see if it’s safe.
For heavy construction (jackhammers, electric saws, hard hat work, transport of heavy equipment) to happen after school hours and on weekends when students are not present.
For any dangerous equipment to be stored in a locked area that students can’t access.
Clear policies put in place to address what staff/administrators are to do if there are communication systems down as we would not be able to follow current policy/practices if phones, internet, intercoms and safety badges are not functioning.
Clear communication with all stakeholders (parents, staff, etc.) when things like this happen. Had parents been aware they could have at least chosen to keep their children home.
Thorough clean up after construction complete to ensure any debris, nails/screws, etc. are not left on ground where children may play.
A formal apology to the students and staff for not listening or taking our safety concerns seriously and for causing such a serious disruption to our ability to teach and learn.
This article originally appeared on Daily Commercial: School staffer concerned about construction at Leesburg early learning center
