By Peggy Hinton, Alexandria (File photo)

To the editor:
I am a community member that is disturbed and disappointed in the total disregard for children’s safety in the planning of the Patrick Henry School project. The project has shined a light on the fact that a small group of victorious people can lobby the school board to consider the least safe option for a school design for our city’s future: our children.

Option C-1 will put all traffic, including buses, students who walk to school, staff and recreation center visitors to one small corner of Taney Avenue. Option A-1 breaks up traffic from the already congested Taney Avenue and creates bus access on North Latham Street — only available two times a day for 10 minutes — so that cars and pedestrians will not be pushed to one side of Taney Avenue. Option C-1 will create a hazardous commute for our
city’s smallest community members, our children.

I am truly and utterly confused at how a small group of community members’ opinions can outweigh the actual findings of a traffic study, the concerns from parents and staff members and community members who have the best interest of the children at heart.

According to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, children — humans — cannot problem-solve — learn — if their need for safety is not met. How do we expect every student to succeed in our schools if the children will not have their basic need, safety, met?

The A-1 option should be the only option under consideration. If the school board truly cares about the safety of our city’s children — I would hope that’s the reason why they ran for office — then they will not allow for option C-1 to be even considered.