To submit school announcements, click on image.
The state Department of Public Health will inspect Methuen schools after parents and teachers raised concerns about mice and potential mold issues.
The state commitment was announced Friday in a joint press release from Methuen Mayor David P. “D.J” Beauregard and state Rep. Ryan Hamilton. Beauregard said he ordered inspections of all four grammar schools and Methuen High School.
“The inspection reports were alarming. To begin immediately tackling these challenges, I established a new School Health and Safety Task Force to begin the process of addressing the most critical issues outlined in the reports, while also developing a sustainable long-term plan to ensure that our school department provides healthy and safe learning and teaching conditions for Methuen’s students and educators.”
Meanwhile, the Methuen Education Association said in its own release a rodent problem in several schools and last Monday’s high school heating system failure are “part of a larger funding crisis city officials are forcing upon Methuen Public Schools and the district’s employees.” The union said Beauregard’s task force does not include educators, which they termed “typical of the disregard educators in Methuen have been facing throughout negotiations for a new contract.”
“The staffing shortages and sanitation issues are related,” said Kara Blatt, union co-president. “It all comes down to properly funding our schools.”
An inspection of the Marsh Grammar School took place Friday after, the mayor said, the state has not been invited to conduct since 2007.
“It wasn’t too long ago I was a student in these buildings. I can’t imagine the disruption this is causing to learning,” said Hamilton. “Upon learning about these issues, both Mayor Beauregard and myself were in immediate contact with DPH. Their review will go a long way towards ensuring our buildings are meeting the standards we all expect of our schools.”
Both said they had been class presidents at Methuen High.