School Conditions in Mobile County Public Schools

The Mobile County Public School System in Alabama is quite horrendous. I understand some people don't feel this way. This is just my personal opinion. Some people say conditions in the schools of Mobile County are fair and fine, though in my opinion they are horrid and don't care for students at all. I have found maybe one or two teachers that actually care about the future of their students, that actually help their students with certain programs to make their future better. Those teachers are the golden standard of how I, a student, feel teachers should act.

There are teachers I personally experienced that I feel are of this golden standard. One of such teachers was Ms. Bark from Theodore High School. This kind women, I feel, has gone out of her way with students. She helps them find certain grants for college and lets her students email her if they ever have a problem with school. She puts the extra effort into teaching. I feel every teacher should go just as far or beyond what she has for her students. Of course to moderation to where it's not creepy.

Now, they aren't my only concern. The school's physical conditions are quite sad. I am referencing schools such as Theodore High School, and Hankins Middle School. Those are just some schools in the school district I believe to be not so nice. Theodore High School is one of the most in need of some change. Flaws in this school include graffiti, lack of restroom stalls with locks on the doors, and kids skip class like it's the easiest and most normal thing to do. Kids have even been caught sleeping or taking naps in the stalls; sometimes not even in the stalls. They smoke cigarettes in the bathroom, too, and some even get custodians to keep watch for them. You have got to be kidding me. Furthermore, at said high school, there were at least two police officers there a day to arrest a student. There should be programs that are fun and engaging to help kids like that stay out of trouble, rather than have programs that continuously make the child get used to punishment like it's a regular passtime, maybe even work on helping the parent just as well as the student in said case. Though, again, this is just my opinion.

Hankins Middle School was just as bad, or maybe even worse. They have bleachers made from concrete. They are uncomfortable and a safety hazard. Said bleachers also have graffiti and trash underneath them. They are quite the eyesore. Hankins also has in front of its hall a large garbage pile that would overflow with garbage and old desks every day.

Even the school's placement is horrible. It sits right in front of a trailer park where there is known gang violence and shootings. Within the span of one year, there were about six red alerts to the school. A red alert, if you don't know, is when a school is in danger and someone violent is in the area; the school will lock all doors and hide children in corners away from windows.

These weren't even the worst events there. Within the span of two years, two teachers from that very school were arrested for childpornography. That statement gives me all the reasons not to send my child to that middle school.

So I don't know what kind of schools Mobile County Superintendent Martha Peak thinks she is running but I believe these conditions need to get better before I even consider sending my child into one of her schools. I only looked at two schools and two programs. Imagine if I dug up all the dirt on all of the schools in her county.