Firestorm In A Port Huron Michigan Elementary School: Parent Discovers His Child Learning In Deplorable Conditions

What is going on at Garfield Elementary in Port Huron Michigan?  This is what one parent is asking.  

Tim Sopha says his 6 year old daughter is studying in deplorable conditions at the school.  Tim took his frustrations to Facebook to let other parents know what is transpiring at the school.

Tim Sopha and his 6 year daughter

This is what he wrote in the Port Huron, Michigan Facebook Group:

  Here's some mind blowing facts about Garfield elementary that most people don't even believe when I tell them...
-all the children in my daughters 1st grade class use milk crates as seats-
-my daughter can not bring in her own pencil-
-the supplied pencils have no erasers-
- 26 students share about 6 coat hangers-
-my daughters very nice new winter jacket ends up on the floor most days and now is completely and utterly nasty from being kicked around the dusty floors in the hallway-
-the bathrooms consistently smell like urine-
-when one student threw a swing at my daughter on recess because "she was going too high on her swing, and he wanted to slow her down" he apologized, to obviously not get in trouble, and said he would walk her up to the office. They let a 6 year old escort another 6 year old alone to the office, then neglected to tell either parent about the bloody cut on the side of her face-
My child will not be attending Garfield next year, needless to say!!!!

Classroom Coat Rack

Desk and Seats Students study on.
Appears some students get chairs.

Tim then continued with another post in the group

 I would like to start by saying my post was not an attack on an any individual. Whether or not I would have contacted a representative of the school before or after I made the post, I still would have released this information to the community because I find it unacceptable and I am obviously not alone. I was told that the children chose to sit on the milk crates, she will be able to use her own pencil, and that coat racks are not available due to lack of funds.

 I would like to elaborate that it should not be a 6 year olds decision that they need to be seated properly upright in a chair with back support at their desk or table. I was informed that there is more chairs available, but they were not an option in my daughters class because the other 6 chairs are already called for and I assure you, my daughter does not like her milk crate with a ripped cushion. She's a child, she should be given the proper equipment, her and the other 25 students, at such a young age are not aware of the potential problems of sitting on a crate all day everyday, so it didn't seem like a problem to the kids. I cannot believe something as minuscule as a pencil would be an issue but even the principle agreed that she needs to have a pencil with an eraser on it, especially if I am willing to supply my daughter with one, I'm truly sympathetic for anybody that cannot afford a pencil for their child if the school is unable to. The coat racks is an issue that is ongoing and they have "put in a request for one". I'm sure they would absolutely love a donation of a homemade coat rack, but I'm in no position myself to provide one.

 The school seems unhappy that I made this public, but we all need to be aware that these are completely avoidable issues that have apparently never been addressed by those who are in the position to be counted on to provide sufficient conditions inside our education system here in the PHASD.

School District Director Keely Baribeau took exception to Tim Sopha taking his complaints to facebook, yet she choose to respond in public fashion as well?

This is what another learning facility has learned by doing the

Choosing the right chair

proper research on child seating.  Kaplan Learning Company states on their website:

Children are more likely to pay attention and are more open to learning if they are comfortable during class. You can positively influence the overall learning environment in your classroom by choosing chairs and tables that are the right size for the children in your care. At Kaplan Early Learning Company, we understand that figuring out appropriate chair and table heights can be confusing and a little frustrating, which is why we’ve created some simple guidelines for you to remember as you choose chairs and tables for your classroom.

The general rule for tables in early care and education classrooms is the space between the seat of the chair and the underside of the table should be 7-8 inches. That’s just the right amount of space for children to be able to fit their legs under the table, and it also ensures that the table is low enough for children to comfortably rest their elbows.

When picking out tables, you should also consider any special needs students who are in your class. If a child is in a wheelchair that doesn’t have a built-in table, they will need a table in the classroom that is high enough for them to sit at comfortably. Licensing and accreditation regulations may also play a role in which table size is appropriate for your students.
You should mainly focus on the table height, chair seat height, and children’s age when deciding which table size is the right fit for your students.

 The chart at the bottom of the page makes chair and table recommendations based on those three factors.

One needs to ask the school superintendent as to why the conditions at this school have become so bad that children don't have seats?  Is it mismanagement or worse misappropriation of funds?