My name is
Lisa Russell; I am a parent of three Greenback students. I was on
WATE News Wednesday Evening @ 6:00p.m. However, my message was
not entirely reported. I stated that I did not send my children to
school on Wednesday because of personal safety concerns but the
reason behind the concerns were not reported. I was not comfortable
with the children being in school while gas heaters were being
replaced. My children returned to school Thursday.
We know the facility has problems and is on fire watch. However,
progress is being made. Because there have been gas leaks and the
old units were not in good condition, there have now been new gas
HVAC units installed. This was done very quickly which shows there
is action being taken to ensure the safety of everyone in the
school. The gas lines are in the process of being certified by a
contractor so this should eliminate the gas leak problems at this
facility .The drawings for the alarm system required in the GYM are
in Nashville waiting for approval. Addressing the many problems does
take time. Funding for correcting the other deficiencies is a
problem that also takes time. The funding requests have been heard
by County Commission and once the bids are in the funding should be
available. After this funding the other HVAC problems will be
addressed and the other deficiencies corrected. It is a long road
for this process.
I would also like to say that while the facility at Greenback has
problems you could not ask for a better faculty. A school is made of
several components in its total evaluation. The sense of family and
community at this school is unlike any I have ever encountered. The
relationship between teachers, parents and children is something
most schools can only dream about. Since my children have attended
Greenback School we have always been made to feel welcome and part
of this family. I have always felt anything could be discussed
openly with the teachers and they will always help in anyway they
can. I feel they think of our children as their own and treat them
as such. I am grateful to have such people in charge of educating my
children. Greenbacks test scores are available for all to see and
the numbers are something to be proud of.
People very rarely want to report the good and this is something
that others need to be reminded to see. I believe it is difficult
for most people to see the difference between the facility and the
school. So while the facility may be poor the other components of
Greenback School are very rich indeed.