Gaithersburg HS: No Response from @mcpssuper on When Stoves Can Be Used!

To: Joshua Starr (originally sent March 20, 2014)

I had the pleasure today of visiting the School-Community Based classroom at the brand-new Gaithersburg High School. As you know, the school has been open to students since August. The School-Community Based program is a special education program for students with intellectual and or developmental disabilities who need instruction in fundamental life skills. As part of the design plan for both the SCB program and the LFI program at the school, kitchens were designed and installed between the classrooms to enable the students to engage in real-life activities of meal planning and preparation.

Unfortunately, school has been in session for 7 months now, and the stoves, while present in the kitchens, are unable to be used. Apparently the stoves are not “vented” to the outside. Either this was a serious design flaw on someone’s part, or the “venting” still has not occurred; either way, the students in the SCB and LFI programs are being denied educational opportunities that are important for them to develop as much independence as possible.

Please let me know what your plan is to correct this situation, and how soon the students in the SCB and LFI programs will be able to utilize the stoves. I look forward to your prompt response.