LEE COUNTY
There are concerns about safety and security at the temporary Franklin Park Elementary site in Lee County on Marsh Avenue. Parents and staff said they’re worried about doors that don’t lock and alarm systems that don’t work.
WINK News brought these claims to Debbie Jordan, a Lee County school board member whose district it falls under.
While most of the complaints centered around the look and feel of the campus, which is under construction. The most serious claim is the silent alarms didn’t work, as required by law.
View of the temporary Franklin Park Elementary site from the WINK News drone. CREDIT: WINK News
Tuesday afternoon, the school district said the alarms are now hooked up. All the doors have the required locks, the air filters have been replaced, and the roof’s been repaired.
Jordan said construction crews had worked hard to address every concern.
“We have a team of people from the district, our maintenance, and we have a person who is in charge of overseeing all of that. So we have people who are there taking care of a punch list. if you will, as if you were building a new home, you know, what has to be fixed. So, they’re taking those lists, and they’re going down the list and taking care of that stuff,” Jordan said.
Lee County schools promised to rebuild Franklin Park Elementary in 2018 when taxpayers approved a half-cent sales tax. All but one classroom building and the gym will be torn down.
The new school is scheduled to open Aug. 2024.
WINK NEWS