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Board members cite access problems at Newport after recent weather-related outages
Summary
Directors described mobility and elevator problems at Newport High School following severe weather and urged the district to review access paths, emergency resiliency for elevators and communication for impacted users.
Several Bellevue School District board members told colleagues on Jan. 21 that they encountered access problems at Newport High School and other campuses, and they urged the district to examine paths of travel and elevator resiliency.
A director described arriving at Newport and finding multiple elevators out of service; another director said a student in a wheelchair could not easily access certain dining tables and that movable seating at some campuses does not accommodate wheelchairs. Members said the district should anticipate temporary mobility needs (for example wheelchair users, crutches or knee scooters) and avoid making users call in to request individualized assistance daily.
Directors recommended proactive measures: provide advance notices when elevators or circulation routes are unavailable; consider stockpiling critical elevator replacement parts to shorten outage times after severe-weather electrical events; study access routes from the perspective of people using mobility devices; and re-evaluate furniture that prevents inclusive seating. Board members also asked staff to examine whether sensitive elevator electronics should be on protected power supplies to reduce weather-related failures.
Ending: The board asked staff to review facility access and resiliency and return with recommended operational and communication changes to reduce exclusions for people using mobility devices.
