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Burlington resident tells Alamance County commissioners of school building hazards; board urges school board review
Summary
A Burlington resident presented photos and inspection notes alleging water damage, rusted steps and peeling paint at three schools; commissioners said the health department inspects annually but cannot force repairs and urged the resident to take the matter to the school board.
Jose Molina, of Burlington, told the Alamance County Board of Commissioners that he reviewed health-department inspection reports and photographed problems at three local schools, including clogged gutters with standing water, rusting steps used daily by students, peeling paint and dead trees.
“My name is Jose Molina… I was here on July and I asked who inspects our school buildings for needs and repairs,” Molina said, reading from reports and noting he emailed photos to commissioners. He identified Andrews Elementary and Cummins School among the three examples he cited and said the images show issues persisting for months.
Chair (speaker 3) responded that county public-health inspections are yearly and that the health department “cannot mandate the corrections,” noting authority for repairs rests with the school board. The chair advised Molina to bring the evidence to the school board.
Commissioner Lashley thanked Molina for the photographs and noted the county provided the school system with funding this year. “You as Alamance County taxpayer are responsible for maintaining and operating the school system,” a commissioner said, adding that residents should ask the school board why conditions remain unsatisfactory despite funding.
The board agreed to allow discussion of Molina’s concerns during the meeting and signaled it would follow up. Commissioners also described past problems at Cummins related to painting work that used an improper paint type, which led to peeling when students leaned on painted surfaces.
Next steps reported during the meeting included urging the resident to present the photos and inspection reports at the school board and for county staff to review the documentation; no formal enforcement action by the county was ordered because the county lacks authority to compel school-district repairs.
The meeting closed with commissioners reiterating that responsibility for building repairs belongs to the school board and encouraging continued citizen engagement.
