Sacramento school changes course after CBS13 story about makeshift cafeteria covered with tarp
SACRAMENTO - The principal of Cesar Chavez Intermediate is apologizing and vowing to find permanent solutions a day after CBS13 reported parents' concerns over unsafe conditions at lunch.
The Sacramento City Unified School District says starting Thursday, the blue tarp will be coming down.
Maria Vargas is one of the concerned parents that has been going to school leaders after hearing the kids were eating outside in the hot summer and cold winter storms.
"The kids started texting us that they were eating in the cafeteria today, all of a sudden they are inside," Vargas said. "It makes me sad that it had to get to this point for them to be able to do something."
The district acknowledged challenges brought on by construction of a brand-new state-of-the-art school to combine Edward Kemble Elementary (TK-3) and Cesar Chavez Intermediate (4-6) into one campus.
Yesenia Jones, whose son is a fifth grader, fears future academic success is being prioritized above the immediate success of those attending Cesar Chavez.
"That's wonderful that this is being addressed. But why did it take this? And why aren't we using common sense? I mean the children are not animals," Jones said. "My son came home and said, 'Hey, we got to eat inside.' But what about when school started, and it was over 100 degrees outside?"
The following letter obtained by CBS13 was sent to parents Wednesday night. It reads:
Dear Cesar Chavez Families,
I am writing to update you on the progress toward finding a better solution for the outdoor lunch seating problem during rainy and/or cold weather.
First, let me say that I understand your concerns about the safety of the outdoor eating space and apologize if our solution did not meet your expectations. The last thing I would ever want is for you or your student to feel undervalued at our school.
I have taken the immediate steps of having 4th graders eat lunch in their classroom and adjusting the 5th grade lunch schedule as needed to ensure no student is eating outdoors until the conditions are warmer. Moving forward, we will work on a more permanent and sustainable solution for finding sufficient indoor eating space.
As you know, this is an exciting time to be at Cesar Chavez; we are in the midst of an unprecedented construction project that will result in a beautiful new campus for students. Until we get there, I ask for your continued patience and understanding in working through challenges that arise.
Thank you,
Sara Munn
Principal, Cesar Chavez Intermediate School
Parents say their only priority now that steps are being taken to address the outdoor cafeteria, is that the school include them in future decision making.
"We cannot go back to what happened. Obviously, there were mistakes that were made but moving forward, they need to understand that there are parents that are very involved," Jones said. "There needs to be open and honest communication with all parents, not just at PTO meetings. All parents need to know what's going on."
The school is a dual emergent campus, allowing students to learn in both English and Spanish. Jones said trust between the parents and officials has been broken, but can be rebuilt if they begin to make efforts towards transparency and honesty.
"It's very scary to send our kids to school feeling like we have to play private investigators and asking the kids what happened. That that is not their job, and they shouldn't be put in that position," Jones said.
Steps towards a permanent solution are in the works.
