DCPS responding to concerns over J.C. Nalle Elementary swing space

WASHINGTON — After families pushed back against trailers taking over Nalle Elementary's green spaces during modernization plans, DC Public Schools is updating the community Monday night on its plans.

District leaders have scheduled a virtual meeting for 5 p.m. to discuss where swing spaces will be located for Drew and Nalle Elementary School students.

A few weeks ago, DCPS did confirm they found another swing space for Anne Beers students, who had originally been scheduled to move to Nalle's field as well.

Hosting trailers for three schools would have meant Nalle students losing access to their field, playground, and garden space for about seven years.

Parents told WUSA9 back in June that they were only informed of the plans a couple days before they noticed construction crews on the field, and they have been pushing back ever since.

A swing space is a series of trailers meant to house the entire school while construction takes place.

In a summer letter to parents, DCPS Chief of Operations Lisa Putman said Nalle Elementary will be used for the modular trailers while the school is being modernized. School officials estimate the construction of the modular campus will take an entire school year, with construction of trailers scheduled to begin in August. After the trailers are built, Drew Elementary students will have classes there in 2025 and 2026. Nalle Elementary will then use the swing space while its building is upgraded in 2027 and 2028.

DCPS held a community meeting in mid-June at Nalle to share timelines for the project, community impacts, and to talk with families. Many parents and students showed up to the meeting with signs that said "Save our field."

Parents say they were blindsided by the plan to utilize the field and playground during renovation at Drew Elementary and other elementary schools in the area.

"We're truly outraged," said William Smith.

"They failed to meet with the stakeholders, the teachers, the parents, the students, even the community members to share their plain," Janice Parker added. "The space will be consumed for at least seven years. That means that a child who comes to this school at 3 or 4 or even 5, they will be here all of those years and not have a field, a playground or anything to get any exercise or to participate in any kind of outdoor sports because that will be consumed with modular trailers."

Parker said she was frustrated following the meeting, and that school officials failed to take the community's concerns seriously. 

"It's unacceptable and it's disrespectful to the people in this community," Parker said. "The children in this community are entitled to healthy areas and spaces to play, to run, compete," Parker said. "Their plan is to take that all away,."

Parker said she plans to keep protesting the decision in hopes that the school district will choose a different space for the modular campus. 

This is not the first time DCPS has used space on another school's campus during school renovations. In 2018 and 2019, a swing space was established for Maury Elementary at Eliot Hine Middle School.

"So, this is why we're protesting because Black people, poor people, underserved communities, like Marshall Heights, always get infantilized," Tina Elie said. "We don't get to ask for opinion. We just get told things are going to happen. Parents should have been engaged months ago. But, you know, Mayor Bowser will cater to whoever donates. She can take this community's votes for granted, but white folks she can't. So. I'm sure if it was Lafayette, she would have engaged the community earlier."