Jackson-Reed began using portable trailers this semester to combat overcrowding. Several teachers volunteered to move their classes.

“There were eight teachers who volunteered [to move to the portables]. Based on certain criteria [including diversity and class sizes], six were selected,” Strategy and Logistics Director Brandon Hall said. 

French teacher Anna Foxen volunteered to move because she was previously teaching two of her classes in the piano lab. 

“[The piano lab] was not an actual classroom. We did not have proper desks,” Foxen’s student, sophomore Sador Derege, said. Derege said students had to use music stands as desks. 

When Foxen was given the tour of the portables, she was pleasantly surprised. “[The portables] are bright, clean, and everything is new.”

Social studies teacher Clarence Alston added that his “expectations [for the trailers] were low. But, everything has been a great experience. We have ample space, desks, chairs, and technology already set up.” Alston used to teach in room B-303 and experienced interruptions from students passing through to the video room in B-304. 

To access the portables, students exit the building on the second floor through a reopened external door. There is a fenced walkway to the portables where students enter through the main doorway and pass through a metal detector.

“There is an alarm system attached to both portable doors,” Hall said. He added that there will be a security guard at the doorway.

“It’s annoying to go out to them, especially when it is cold,” junior Zach Bensky said. However, he noted the portables will be “helpful for teachers who have to move to many classrooms to teach their classes.”

Junior Nicole Dickinson has two classes in the portables. “The portables are much nicer than I expected and they’re clean. They’re kind of out of the way which is annoying, but not totally inconvenient.” 

The portables also create issues with staff parking. Alston explained that they are in the faculty parking lot, so he has to drive to school early to find a space on 40th Street. “It’s challenging…the city and the community need to do a much better job to accommodate our teachers.” 

While parking permits were promised so that teachers could park on Chesapeake Street, only 40-60 permits were given out to the 74 staff members who requested a permit. •