Channel 8/Dallas just reported that they will be using Wilmer-Hutchins

[liveoaktx]

school for evacuees.

[crispini]

1. weren't those school buildings

condemned?

[justabob]

3. I just googled it

So far the only reference I have found is on a discussion board (and in a sports thread, of course) with no links to back up the assertion.

[crispini]

5. I wasn't able to look long

but I found this observer story:

http://www.dallasobserver.com/Issues/2005-07-21/news/schutze.html

doesn't say they're condemned but they're in pretty bad shape. A snip:

I need to take you on a little motor tour down South Millers-Ferry Road, parallel to Interstate 45 about three miles south of Interstate 20, right at the border between the communities of Wilmer and Hutchins. On our right to the west we see a round-shouldered clump of buildings owned by the Wilmer-Hutchins school district, including C.S. Winn Elementary, still in operation incredibly enough. To say that these aging brick and metal buildings are decrepit--with beat-up window-unit air conditioners, crumbling driveways, trash-blown grounds--is to put it mildly. Let me just detour us a second here down this uncurbed, eroded asphalt path, around a large school building with rain-warped plywood in all the windows, and here we are at what I am going to call the Wilmer-Hutchins Memorial Post-Nuclear Holocaust Football Stadium.

I don't know the story here. I'm not sure I want to know the story. Before us is a fair-sized high school football stadium with large trees growing through all the bleachers. I assume it's not being used. Where would people sit? But it still says something that any school district or other public entity would allow any piece of property in its name to arrive at this state. Something bad.

And, in fact, last week the Dallas schools sent a team to assess the condition of the "new" Wilmer-Hutchins High School, because parents there had expressed an interest in keeping it open. Dallas school spokesman Donald Claxton told me the conclusion was that the high school is unusable and unfixable. I didn't ask about the bleachers.

[justabob]

2. I was wondering if they would do that

They have desks, classrooms etc it makes sense. I imagine there are at least a few LA teachers who were evacuated who could teach as well.

I can't confirm or deny what Crispini mentioned about the condition of the buildings.... I only remember hearing about the bad management of the district.

[fudge stripe cookays]

4. They were in pretty bad shape....

That's where the initial investigations started, I think. Ya'll correct me if I'm wrong.

There were roaches, peeling paint, crumbling insulation and stuff, and they were wondering where the money had gone that was supposed to be used for that stuff. Then it started looking more and more like it went into someone's pocket instead of towards the schools.

I think that's where everything started to fall apart. It's ROOM to teach these kids, but I think "separate but unequal" applies here, unfortunately.

FSC

[justabob]

6. thanks

I spent a little time searching this morning, but didn't find much that was helpful. Thanks for the info. I hope DISD or whoever can get it worked out. My son's school already has 30 kids being enrolled on a small campus that, like most DISD schools, has seen better days. I've been really impressed with the principal and staff so I think all comers will be happy. They are working really hard to make it as painless as possible for everyone, old and new. I imagine even more kids will end up there because we are close to downtown and the major shelters.

[fudge stripe cookays]

7. Welcome.

We have a friend from Oak Cliff, who was worried like hell for all those Wilmer Hutchins kids who ended up getting shipped over to the HS(s?) in Oak Cliff.

He remembered when he was there at the HS in Oak Cliff. Rival gangs getting put into the same environment, when they've had the natural boundary of distance for so long?

Sounds like a recipe for disaster. Something I hadn't even considered before he brought it up.

Anybody see the violence level around there increase lately? I'm just curious. Almost never watch local news anymore.

FSC

[justabob]

8. No idea about Oak Cliff

That does sound like a recipe for disaster. I don't watch a whole lot of local news either - once a week at best.