Parents and advocates press Florence 1 board on field safety, special education access and air-quality concerns
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Summary
Multiple public commenters urged the Florence School District 1 board to address unsafe field conditions at Williams Middle School, inconsistent district responses to parent concerns, alleged special-education violations, transportation delays, and an odor at West Florence High they say has triggered student asthma.
Several parents and community advocates used the public-comment period at the Florence School District 1 board meeting to press the district on student safety, special-education access and communication.
Josie Jones Carter, a parent of a Williams Middle School student athlete, described hazardous conditions at football practice: "The fields are not properly cut. The children were not given access to the bathrooms," she said, and added that when storms occur students had no indoor shelter and in some cases had to cross a four-lane highway to reach a restroom. Carter asked trustees what the district's accountability process is when parents file complaints and who is responsible for responding.
Gloria C.L. Jones, speaking as a family member and advocate, said she had been denied permission to attend a parent meeting despite parental consent and that she has filed state complaints. She told trustees the state had found fault with the district for denying some students a free and appropriate public education and urged the board to adopt policies that hold administrators accountable, including disciplinary steps when federal laws are violated.
Amanda Williams described an ongoing odor at West Florence High that she said has aggravated her son's asthma and required medical visits. "This is triggering his asthma where I had to take him to the doctor twice," she said, adding she left multiple voicemails and emails to district staff without receiving a response and asked the board to explain what the district is doing to investigate and protect students' health.
Another public commenter, the founding pastor of Lamb's Chapel Christian Center, requested that the board consider naming Williams Middle School for longtime teacher John Carey Jr., citing his decades of service to the immediate community.
Board members did not provide detailed remedies on the record during public comment. The chair thanked speakers and then moved on to action items. Several speakers explicitly asked for clearer timelines and accountability processes from the district; the board did not state specific follow-up actions during the meeting.