TUSCALOOSA - AL -
This past weekend's rain proved to be a case in point for parents demanding county school officials build a new Holt High School. On Monday, a unnamed teacher showed ABC 33/40 a wet stack of class papers that she knew was a no-no to leave on a table in one corner of her room. "Everything on their is soaked. We tried to keep up with it, you know watch the weather. Well, I messed up."
That's because water is leaking into her classroom from the outside in....and all over the building there are water bulging ceiling tiles from a entirely leaking roof. Also, wires are exposed to the leaks.
ABC 33/40's cameras captured what appeared to be excessive mold building on some of the ceiling tiles. "It's probably affecting absences. They've failed AYP [Adequate Yearly Progress tests] for the past two years because of absences," said Jason Bearden.
Bearden is leading a group of parents who are petitioning the school board to rebuild the school. Parents say the current school is beyond repair and they will no longer accept patchwork and stress students at the school are overdue for something new.
"Its been sort of like this since 1981 when I graduated from here," said one parent. "But, from 1944 until now yeah it needs to be rebuilt."
The petiton drive begins Thursday. Parents say they hope to present the signatures to the school board next month.
1944 is the year the current Holt High School was build. That was 68 years ago. Bearden says
