Students and parents press Guilford schools for urgent fixes at Page High School
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Summary
Students and community members told the Guilford County Board of Education that Page High School has chronic building problems'24'including repeated HVAC failures, leaking ceilings, accessibility hazards and crowded common spaces'and urged the district to prioritize repairs and clearer timelines.
Students, parents and community representatives pressed the Guilford County Board of Education on March 11 to address longstanding facility problems at Page High School, describing conditions they say harm students'safety and learning.
"Our AC has gone out a lot of times," said Sophie Wilkerson, a Page High School student, describing periods when classrooms were either dangerously hot or freezing and the gym became unbearable. She told the board that leaky ceilings, poor lighting and crowded lunchrooms make the building difficult to navigate and can be hazardous for students who use mobility devices.
Community representative Adam Duggins, who organized a recent tour of Page with about 40 stakeholders, said the group's unanimous takeaway was that the facility is in "urgent need of attention." He asked the board to set basic, "non-negotiable" standards for heating, cooling and safety districtwide rather than relying on ad-hoc fixes.
Jack Kelly, a sophomore with a visual impairment, described a muddy access path that floods, glare that interferes with assistive devices, and poorly lit stairwells and hallways that he said make daily navigation unsafe.
Board members and staff acknowledged the concerns during a later facilities discussion. District staff said they have been using repair contracts to respond quickly to HVAC failures and have spent roughly $9 million on HVAC repairs this fiscal year; they also told the board that a full HVAC replacement for a typical high school can be on the order of millions of dollars.
Board members asked for more data on timelines and the district's long-term facilities plan; administrators emphasized that bond projects are multi-year efforts but said they are deploying additional resources for maintenance and safety equipment while larger capital projects proceed.
The public comments at the March meeting reflect a pattern of campus-specific concerns and broader debate on how the district balances recurring repairs with large-scale capital work. Administrators said they will continue to prioritize repairs and coordinate bond and operating funds to address the needs raised at Page and other campuses.