Limiting School Construction Disruption

Many of us parents of students at Laguna Beach High School are very concerned about the planned reconstruction of the school, because it will completely disrupt the education of our children for at least two to three years. The article “School Renovation Plans Criticized” (Oct. 30) indicated that a new building is planned at the high school.

Actually, the entire campus will be under construction for years, and no corner of the campus will be protected from the noise.

So far, much thought has gone into the design of the reconstruction, but no attention has been given to providing the current students with a reasonable learning environment.

A phased plan has been rejected because of the estimated cost of $800,000, added onto a $7.2-million project.

However, the district is paid $2.5 million annually to educate these 650 students. It is a fraud on these students for the district to collect this money and to fail to provide the students with a classroom environment where they can learn, free from the din of construction.

There are ways to mitigate the disruption: scheduling the construction to occur when school is not in session, construction in phases, releasing students to other districts and giving students “education vouchers” they may take to private or public schools as payment for their education.

BARBARA D’ANGELO

Laguna Beach