Roach-infested water fountain, termite-covered textbook: Take a look at the conditions in North Carolina schools

This thought crossed my mind at the beginning of the school year: Does my eight-year-old have a cold or could her inflamed nasal passages be because of the mold found in the mobile classroom building where she was now spending her days at a Wake County public school.

It wasn't the first time I'd wondered if the local schools that my kids attend were healthy places for them to be. In the eight years that I've had kids in a Wake County school, here's just a random list of issues that have cropped up:  

• The gym building was allowed to go without heat or air conditioning for three to four months one year. Mold grew.
• Roaches and other bugs are extremely common. One teacher refers to them as "our other classmates." "We are experts at killing those guys," another teacher tells me.
• There is inconsistent heating and air conditioning throughout the buildings. In one room, it's 80 degrees. In another, it's 65 degrees.
• At one point in early January, my middle schooler texted me this from school: "The heat doesn't work. It is so cold."

It would be one thing if these were occasional problems that were fixed immediately. But they aren't. These problems are allowed to fester for far too long as teachers not only watch over our kids, but teach them things like how to read and complex mathematics.

And, let me be clear, these are extremely minor grievances when compared to the state of other school buildings across the state. I should consider myself lucky.

In April, West Millbrook Middle School parents expressed their frustrations to Wake County school board members about sewage coming up from the floors, plaster coming off the ceiling, splintering walls and a concave courtyard. The school is slated for improvements by 2023, but parents said they need to happen much sooner.

"The district's maintenance office is well aware of school needs, but it must rely on available funding," Wake County Public School System spokeswoman Lisa Luten said in an email at the time.

And then look at these situations that Justin Parmenter, a seventh grade language arts teacher at Waddell Language Academy in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg County school system, documented on Twitter this month. Parmenter wrote an op-ed on WRAL a couple of days ago about school conditions.

A roach-infested water fountain? This doesn't happen overnight.

Water fountain roach infestation, public school in Eastern North Carolina. 😳 It’s not all about the paychecks. #may16 #ItsPersonal #nced pic.twitter.com/i0ZwiSq0JS

— Justin Parmenter (@JustinParmenter) May 11, 2018

How about mushrooms in a mobile classroom?

Humidity so high in this mobile classroom in Guilford County that mushrooms are growing. pic.twitter.com/AZnBy0uKhJ

— Justin Parmenter (@JustinParmenter) May 11, 2018

Um ...

Work inside a Durham music room ongoing during school year. #ItsPersonal pic.twitter.com/j62v3n5CEP

— Justin Parmenter (@JustinParmenter) May 11, 2018

How well could you concentrate?

Temperature inside a classroom, Alamance-Burlington. And we expect children to focus on learning despite these conditions. pic.twitter.com/qFKtAtWhEt

— Justin Parmenter (@JustinParmenter) May 11, 2018

I applaud the student's creativity.

Civics textbooks are outdated, so our students draw their own pictures of the missing presidents. Wake County (same book in use all over the state--textbook allotment slashed 38% since 08-09) pic.twitter.com/tH3GXdOHV9

— Justin Parmenter (@JustinParmenter) May 11, 2018

Just gross!

Termite infested library books, Charlotte Mecklenburg. And they say teachers just want more pay? pic.twitter.com/vLaNy369zu

— Justin Parmenter (@JustinParmenter) May 11, 2018

I'll pose the same question that Parmenter asks in his series of tweets: "When our schools look like this, what does it tell our children about the value our state places on their education?"

Shouldn't we all be embarrassed - even outraged - that we've allowed our public schools to get to this point? Don't our kids deserve better? I think they do.

Thousands of North Carolina teachers will be headed to Raleigh on Wednesday for a rally that some think is focused only on them getting a salary boost. As the daughter of a longtime school teacher and the parent of two kids in public schools, I'd argue that they deserve it (along with other public servants). I have nothing but love for the teachers who have helped my kids excel.

But, let's be clear, teachers are rallying for far more than that. They're tired of working in bug-infested buildings that are crumbling around them. They're tired of teaching out of dated textbooks. They're tired of struggling to get the resources they need to help our kids.

Shouldn't we fix this?

Sarah is Go Ask Mom's editor and the mom of two.