Students at The Baltimore City Public Schools District are being sent to school to learn, but unfortunately the weather is below 25 degrees and there is no heat inside of the classrooms.
The children are forced to wear their coats, and a few of them don’t have one, according to Aaron Maybin, a teacher at Matthew A. Henson Elementary School in Baltimore.
Maybin, a former NFL player, told Baller Alert,
My students were freezing. Most were wearing coats but some don’t have them. I had two classes in my room all day with the windows open, using sunlight to keep warm.
Maybin returned to work last week after a Winter break and realized that the lights were off and it was freezing. He immediately addressed the issue to the principal.
When I arrived at school, half the lights in the building were off and it was freezing. When I spoke to the principal I was told It was due to nobody being there during the holidays to make sure the heat stayed on, and pipes didn’t freeze. The electricity was only working in half of the building. We tried our best as educators. They tried their best as scholars, but they are dealing with a lot already. And now they are supposed to learn in the dark and in the cold.
Although the story is making headlines now, it isn’t a new problem. Maybin argues that the finger can be pointed in several directions.
Everyone is to blame. Everyone is. The governor, the mayor, city council, north avenue. I blame everyone. This problem isn’t new. It isn’t something that just came up yesterday. It’s a citywide issue that has been ignored for years.
Maybin launched a GoFundMe aimed to raise $500,000 for approximately 660 space heaters to be placed in each classroom, as well as around the building. He’s also accepting donations for winter coats and accessories.
