While all of my son’s friends will be entering kindergarten this year, my son has no safe place to go. After recent reports of a thyroid cancer cluster and potentially high PCB, lead and other various toxin levels, we are scared.
We have been tirelessly researching and educating ourselves about this school situation, the federal toxin standards, EPA guidelines, etc. We have read so many contradictory reports and articles that we aren’t sure what to do. We pleaded with two schools in the Malibu district and submitted a heartfelt letter with our concerns and a request to enter either one. We received a one-line rejection email, “Their kindergarten is full.”
After seeking legal council, we approached the issue from a different angle. We received a second rejection from the Executive Director of Student and Professional Services because we missed the inter-district transfer deadline. Finally, at the 11th hour, we decided not to send our children back to Juan Cabrillo. The powers that be are telling the community to “stop drinking the Kool-Aid.” Would decisions be different if the Santa Monica-Malibu School Board moved its offices to the Malibu schools? If these people are so confident that our schools are safe, perhaps they should file an inter-district transfer to have their own children be members of these schools. Does the SMMSD realize the money they’re saving now will be spent ten-fold when they are ready to address the real issue, instead of superficially fixing the problem? What would you do if your child was districted for these schools? Do they realize that this problem won’t go away?
Gisselle Borres