In a grassroots effort that could be seen as indictment of the Houston Independent School District's (HISD) readiness, parents and community members have taken to schoolyards with gardening tools in hand to prepare campuses for the first day of classes. As reported by the Houston Chronicle, the motivation for this community-led hustle was partly the aftermath of Hurricane Beryl, which left schools like T.H. Rogers School in Tanglewood buried in debris six weeks ago.
Parent Pranjal Srivastava was less than pleased with the district's response, stating, "What were they doing for the last two months? Beryl happened six weeks ago. Seems like, again, the administration has no clue what to do and they're not planning things properly." HISD, which faced custodial and maintenance staff cuts this summer as records show, now sees its school communities stepping in to bridge the resultant gap in upkeep, a situation HISD trustee Savant Moore had earlier noted with schools' overgrown grass, as detailed by Houston Chronicle.
Superintendent Mike Miles, in addressing the district's condition, pointed to a rainy July that left little room to manage the mowing schedule. “And really, we only had about two weeks since the hurricane to really cut our grass well," Miles said in a statement reported by the Houston Chronicle. He cites ongoing assistance from the city and county but acknowledges that more time is needed to clean up the debris and restore the schools' normal appearance.
Despite the superintendent's assurances, HISD parent Brooke Longoria shared concerns with KHOU about the overarching district issues, including the turnover of principals and teachers. "It's been sad to see, you know, school communities lose, beloved principals, lose longtime educators,” Longoria told KHOU.
Organizations like Texas Environmental Justice Advocacy Services pitched in by revamping community gardens and contributing to school cleanups. "Families are concerned for the safety of their children, and so they are mobilizing," Deyadira Arellano from the organization conveyed to the Houston Chronicle.
