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.something went wrong at Kappahannock Elementary School last week. That we can all agree on.
Who should we blame?
Not the teachers. They did a miraculous job handling the children and keeping them calm.
Not the fire departments nor the rescue squad. They deserve the highest praise for responses that were swift, efficient and professional.
The principals? They too acted professionally in a time of crisis.
The superintendent? Some would fault his judgment in permitting the roofing operations to go on during school hours. But he was following accepted practices of other schools, and had the assurance of the roofing company that they wTould not be using unsafe materials.
The School Board? They hoped to save the county thousands of dollars by repairing the roof under the warranty, and, like the superintendent, they wrere assured that this would be a safe operation.
The roofers? Perhaps. Howr much experience did they have? Were they follow ing approvedprocedures? Were there safety code violations?
Perhaps assessing blame is not the proper approach. We need to find out what w'ent wrong. More importantly, we need to put a process in place to ensure that this, and similar incidents, have a very small chance of happening again.
This can’t be done in the heat of rightousness and anger. It must be done calmly and dispassionately.
Concerned parents, led by Susan M. Parrish and Vinnie L. Carney, are circulating a petition urging the Board of Supervisors to appoint a special committee to investigate the roofing incident. Although their petition contains some inaccuracies (for example, the spray was not a mixture of gasoline and turpentine) their points are wrell taken.
There are many questions to be answered. Parents, students and the community deserve answers, but anger is not the proper response.
We must work together to alleviate doubts. We must restore trust in the schools and their officials, and let the schools continue their mission of excellence in education.
An investigative committee can help us find answers and bring us together again. Let the healing process begin.
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