Noisy Classrooms

It should be illegal to have classrooms so close to a freeway (much less an interchange). I’m sure the noise is bad enough--stressful and distracting. But breathing all that exhaust must be damaging as well.

The problem could be solved quickly with one phone call from Supt. Roy Romer to Gov. Gray Davis. A call from the chief of the nation’s second-largest school district--and a former (Democratic) governor--to our Democratic governor would surely be accepted. Davis could place a call to Caltrans. And Romer should not rely simply on a sound wall but should also provide different classroom bungalows with better sound insulation and also with air filtration systems.

If they truly care about these children--their learning, their health and their future--then they will quickly remedy this problem. By the way, the fact that the principal, Elva Reyes, said “I don’t think there is a problem here” indicates that she herself is a big part of the problem.

JEFF NEWMAN

Gardena

* The article on noisy Soto Street Elementary school was obviously written by some knee-jerk liberal Democrat. The implication is that we should spend millions of tax dollars to noise-proof the bungalow classrooms for these students. A more compassionate approach would be to have these students pray that the neighboring freeway becomes less noisy.

It’s time we let religion, not tax dollars, help our schools!

ALAN JONES

Los Angeles