No headline

As the principal of Sandpoint Middle School I want to thank the community of Sandpoint for its support. I also want to say that we have an amazing staff that works incredibly hard and will continue to do so, regardless of what building we are in.

I want to mention something that is beyond the condition of the actual structure. One of the biggest issues we face is the lack of accessibility for students. The building was not made for students with a disability. As a result students in our life skills classroom or any student who needs help with mobility are not able to use certain areas of the school. They are also only able to enter or exit through specific doorways. This poses several severe safety risks and creates a feeling that they are not a normal middle school student.

Unfortunately, despite having multiple lunchtimes, the school cafeteria is not big enough to house every student. As a result, we are forced to have students eat on the stage as well. This has created a noticeable stigma for students because those receiving hot lunch must eat in the cafeteria in order to get their lunch from the kitchen. As a result, every student receiving free and reduced lunch eats in the cafeteria while others choose to eat on the stage. Students quickly identify the social-economic difference and many would rather not eat at all than to have the stigma of eating in the cafeteria. This is a major issue to a middle school student.

Please join me in support on Aug. 30.

CASEY McLAUGHLIN

Sandpoint