Students, Parents Demand Answers Over Bad Conditions at Chula Vista School

Students created an Instagram page where pictures of dilapidated buildings and neglected sports facilities at the Chula Vista campus have been featured.

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The anger and frustration were visible on the faces of parents and students present at Castle Park High School Thursday evening for a community meeting.

During the meeting, the group of nearly 150 demanded answers as to why the Chula Vista school's campus is in such disrepair.

“[The] Library has broken windows, dust from termites, the field is full of patches, the drama room has a hole in the stage, bathrooms don't work," said Adrian Gomez, a sophomore at Castle Park High School.

The community meeting comes after students and parents have been publicly raising their concerns to the school in recent weeks. They’ve even created an Instagram page where pictures of dilapidated buildings and neglected sports facilities have been featured.

“We just want equality for all of us,” said Samai Valdez, a junior at Castle Park. “Other schools get these things, we just wish the same for us.”

Present at the meeting was a Sweetwater Union High School Disitrct representative ready to hear the concerns of the community and answer questions. Some of the areas of concern being brought up by students were already being looked at, according to the representative. For example, the stadium. The district says there are already plans for it to be renovated, but they warned it would take at least a year-and-a-half before construction starts.  

As far as other safety concerns brought up by the community, the district said they had dispatched their maintenance department to identify opportunities for improvement. But they also said repairs could be subject to funding provided to the district.

Parents and students present at the meeting weren't too happy with their answers.

“It's upsetting because I trusted the system and I shouldn't have. I should have gotten more involved,” said parent Pedro Gomez. “We are going to keep pressuring until we get the answers that we need and hold people accountable."

The group vowed to continue pushing for a campus they can be proud of.

Students and parents plan to attend a district meeting later this month to continue making their demands heard. While the last day of school is tomorrow, they say their mission doesn’t end.  

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