I moved here from Lexington two years ago. Most people questioned why we would leave such an amazing school system. I had nephews that attended Thoreau Elementary at the time. My daughter attended Thoreau for half a year for fifth grade before the big jump to middle school. We were excited and nervous for her, so we were looking forward to our tour of Peabody with her at the end of August.
My nephew had just finished sixth grade there and was nice enough to give us a tour of the school. When we pulled into the parking lot I was shocked to see how bad the building was and then we walked through the doors, I couldn’t believe my eyes. The place, to put it lightly was a “you know what” hole. It had a musty smell and the classrooms had no doors and something they called walls.
I was shocked and couldn’t believe the town of Concord would allow its kids to attend a school that was in such bad shape. I was literally embarrassed to be touring this new school my daughter would be going to and wondered why we had moved from Lexington to Concord. We questioned if we should start looking for a private school.
My wife and I are strong supporters of public school but this crumbling school in the town of Concord made us reconsider. We joked maybe they’d go remote again and spare these kids from this school. Thank goodness she had a team of great teachers.
Recently, they had intruder/active shooter drills. The classrooms in Peabody don’t even have doors. The are like fishbowls. Sad to think that is the first thing my daughter thought about after these drills.
These two schools should have been replaced years ago. They were built in the 1960s. I think the town has got its money’s worth.
Please vote yes for funding the new middle school. Do it for the kids.
Jonas Killeen
Westford Rd