Over summer break, Hickman has gone through a few maintenance updates; updates that may seem small to some, but are seriously unfavorable to others. Specifically, the repavement of the stairs and ramp at the north entrance, and the out of service elevator adjacent to the west office.

Kellar Martin, a sophomore on crutches, is one of the students that is directly affected by the various updates undergone at Hickman. The broken elevator by the commons is a detrimental problem, forcing Kellar to take a different, more disruptive route to his classes.

“It makes it a lot harder [to get to class], especially after lunch. I have to go up the big, crowded staircase in the commons, which is really inconvenient for me and also for people around me… I end up causing a little bit of a traffic jam on the stairs,” Kellar said.

When looking at possible ways to resolve problems, even small ones, the process to contact the district or maintenance to resolve them can be extremely lengthy, even if it is an urgent matter. Hickman Teacher Katie Tesoro has dealt with the frustration of navigating these maintenance resolutions.

“At the beginning of the year, they will tell us, here’s your report person… This year it’s Mr. Blackburn, one of the other assistant principals,” Tesoro said. “It’s really nice to have a report person, because you’re not sending random work orders to a bunch of people. What we will usually do is we will send a picture of whatever the issue is…We sent a picture to [Blackburn] and a description [of] exactly where [the problem] was, and then he had to send it to the district maintenance people, then we’re kind of at their mercy.”

Due to the tedious process of completing maintenance in Hickman, many students have raised complaints, uninformed about the efforts that Hickman staff make to try and resolve issues within the building.

“I think a lot of people are under the impression that Hickman just has its own set of maintenance people, but everybody works for the district. So when it goes to Mr. Blackburn, he will inform the district, he’ll say, ‘Hey, this is a pretty pressing issue,’ but then we’re kind of at the mercy of [the district’s] timeline.” Tesoro said.

These maintenance delays don’t just cause inconvenience, they can also create serious accessibility challenges for students and staff who rely on elevators and other accommodations to navigate the building. When essential features of the building are out of service it can limit mobility, disrupt classes, and put added strain on teachers, administrators, and students trying to find short-term solutions.

One student in particular, Blue Heliaman (9), has to disrupt his own learning, just because Hickman does not currently support his accessibility needs as someone in a medical boot.

“I started asking my teachers if I could leave like three minutes early to try and make it to my next class as the bell rings,” Blue said.

Although Hickman has some notable accessibility and maintenance issues, the staff and administration push incredibly hard to improve our community to the best of their abilities.

“Miss Grupe, fights so hard for this building, and she will tell them and tell them and tell them.Unfortunately, it gets to a certain point where it’s not in her hands, or it’s not in Mr. Blackburn or Dr. Knighton’s hands.” Tesoro said.

While the maintenance process may take time, the growing awareness among students and staff is raising accessibility and building improvement closer to the top of Hickman’s priorities.