HAGÅTÑA (The Guam Daily Post) — The Guam Department of Education has announced the temporary closure of two elementary schools.
On Tuesday evening, GDOE issued a press release informing stakeholders that Lyndon B. Johnson Elementary School and Tamuning Elementary School were to shut down following an inspection by the Department of Public Health and Social Services.
The announcement also confirmed that as a result of the closures students of both schools will be transitioning to online learning. Starting Wednesday, hard copy materials are available to picked up in the mornings until Friday as online learning is scheduled to commence at the beginning of next week.
“Effective Monday, Sept. 11, 2023, online learning will commence until necessary repairs can be made and reinspected at both schools,” the release stated, adding laptops will be distributed Friday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the schools.
A Zoom call with parents to discuss the transition was scheduled to be held Wednesday afternoon, according to GDOE.
As of press time, GDOE did not respond to a request for a comment on the closures.
On the same day of the announcement, however, DPHSS Director Arthur San Agustin issued a letter to Speaker Therese Terlaje and Guam Education Board chair Mary Okada to provide a mandatory monthly update on school inspections.
The report was part of newly enacted legislation meant to aid and track the public school system’s ongoing challenges with ensuring its campuses are up to minimal health and safety standards, including granting the GDOE superintendent and Public Health director discretion to allow schools that fail inspections to keep operating.
Both of the now-closed elementary schools had submitted requests for variances, or exceptions, to health and safety violations. According to the report, Tamuning Elementary submitted two such requests on Aug. 7 and 8, which were submitted for DPHSS management review Aug. 29.
Lyndon B. Johnson Elementary’s requested variance was submitted Aug. 10, but was not under review by the DPHSS Division of Environment Health until Aug. 29.
More closures likely, Barnett says
Public school parents, teachers and students should expect more closures to come, according to Sen. Chris Barnett, chair of the Guam Legislature’s education committee.
He told The Guam Daily Post on Tuesday that at least one school, which his children attend, is already preparing to hold online classes.
“There are going to be more schools shutting down. My kids go to D.L. Perez (Elementary School). They’re already preparing their inventory of laptops and MiFis,” Barnett stated.
D.L. Perez is already not fully operational – with its students and employees attending in-person classes on an alternating schedule.
Barnett expressed confusion when discussing the closures with the Post.
He authored legislation previously enacted this year that moved up a compliance date for school health standards to the beginning of the current school year. In response to criticism from Adelup and concerns from GDOE that the law would result in widespread closures due to the public school system not being able to complete needed repairs and upgrades in time, lawmakers eventually reversed course and reinstated the original 2024 date.
The move essentially bought some schools a year to make the grade, and was met with assurances that improvement projects were being prioritized.
According to Post files, Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero stated at the time that Barnett’s proposal caused “chaos.”
“The narrative was that they had done away with the so-called chaos calling for this standard,” Barnett said. “And I think we’re in an even more chaotic situation.”
Additionally, he recalled GDOE saying over the summer break that online learning would be a last resort, and was concerned whether it could have been prevented.
“I don’t know if GDOE has done everything in their power to avoid online learning, and I think that they could definitely do more. … And if they can get these schools to pass inspection, this online (model) may just be a stopgap,” Barnett said.
Parents ‘having to deal with this’
The expected closures, along with the changing rhetoric, have consequences for local families, the education chair said.
“My fear is that – even hearing what’s happening in my kids’ school – that this is something that GDOE is going to force on the parents,” Barnett said. “And it’s unfortunate, because on the one side they say online learning is not good for anybody, and on the other side, now they’re saying you’re going to start online learning this week.”
Parents are “left with having to deal with this drastic change,” he told the Post.
Barnett will chair a GDOE oversight hearing Friday, covering a range of issues the department is facing, including needed repair projects.
The entrance to Tamuning Elementary School is shown Wednesday, Sept. 6, 2023, off Chalan San Antonio.
