Wow. The ignorance and stereotyping is breathtaking with some of these parents. I cannot imagine the level of stupidity required to immediately conclude that because "rugs and dinner remains as well as a small dresser and two suitcases" were found, a homeless "drug addict" must be lurking nearby.
What narrowminded and judgmental values these parents are instilling in their children. It appears we ought to be sending the parents to school - they seem to be the ones who most need educating.
Sigh.
Parents Seek Action Over Homeless Presence
Washington Post Staff Writer Saturday, October 20, 2007; Page B02
Two Oriental rugs, a broom, a pillow, a foldable pushcart and the remains of a sushi dinner were scattered in an exterior stairwell outside a door leading to business classrooms at Dunbar Senior High School yesterday, evidence of a homeless presence on the Northwest Washington campus.
For years, according to Dunbar officials, homeless people have lived inside and outside the long-vacated Armstrong Technical High School, which adjoins the Dunbar property. Now Dunbar parents and staff are concerned that a project to convert Armstrong into a charter school has driven the homeless from that building onto the grounds of Dunbar.
Responding to that complaint as well as others about exterior doors that don't always shut properly, D.C. school system officials agreed yesterday to replace Dunbar's 30-year-old exterior doors and provide evening patrols to secure the property from the homeless.
"We have been informed we will be getting additional security officers on our campus in the evening," Principal Harriet Kargbo said yesterday. "There are 97 exterior doors at Dunbar. All will be replaced."
But she said she doesn't expect the doors or the additional officers to arrive for weeks.
That's not good enough for Reina Julien, who has a 10th-grade son at Dunbar. She said the possibility of homeless people entering the building poses a safety hazard for students, and she wants school system officials to make the changes right away. She said her husband patrolled the school yesterday before classes to make sure there were no homeless people in the building.
"I want them to hurry up and act upon this," Julien said. "We plan to alter our schedule to be in the school and do what is necessary" to ensure the safety of students.
A school system spokeswoman could not immediately explain why it will take weeks to provide the additional officers.
Parents at the school complained that fire officials removed sliding locks from the exterior doors last week, saying they posed a hazard in an emergency. But without the locks, parents said, many of the aging doors were not closing properly, giving homeless people access to the building at night. School officials said there was no evidence that that happened.
Gael Meek, who has a 12th-grade daughter at the school, said she left the building late Thursday and saw two men on campus "settling down for the night. They were sitting down having a conversation. They had bags with them."
Meek said she went up a flight of stairs outside and found the rugs and dinner remains as well as a small dresser and two suitcases. Kargbo said the homeless person apparently removed the dresser and suitcases by yesterday.
"I'm rather perturbed," Meek said. "Unsavory things go on in the neighborhood. You're going to get a drug addict [going into the building] to pick up a computer to sell."
