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Recently, there has been a great deal of attention surrounding the pending collaboration between the Boston College Campus School and the Kennedy Day School. As an officer of the Campus School Volunteers, I have the opportunity to clarify a few points of confusion.
First, I will start off with a little history about the Campus School. The school has been on Boston College’s campus for 43 years now, and it serves students ages 3- 21. These wonderful, brilliant and loving students all have severe disabilities and complex healthcare needs. The school is filled with an incredible staff, which constantly gives all of the love and compassion they have to the students. The school is also bursting with undergraduate volunteers from Boston College. Currently, the general listserv stands at over 350 students. This group does not even include the hundreds of students who run the Boston Marathon with us, or the students who volunteer in classrooms on a weekly basis. There is also a group of over 60 students who serve as chairs of the Campus School Volunteers. These students are further divided into different committees and are assigned tasks for classroom involvement, fundraising, or general awareness on campus.
Upon hearing of a potential collaboration, I was somewhat confused, yet optimistic. I trusted in our university’s ability to serve the Campus School population with the unwavering commitment that they deserve. As time went on, however, things became unclear, and were never explained. This is why we are worried.
Unfortunately, all of the details on this “collaboration” are still ambiguous. All we know for certain at this point is that there are currently conversations in progress about moving our students to the Kennedy Day School, which is part of the Franciscan Hospital. Boston College is painting this collaboration out to be a huge benefit for our community, mainly based on the new renovations made to Kennedy’s building. Although this all may sound nice, we are not convinced.
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New facilities are exciting. We are not trying to deny that the Kennedy Day School has a much nicer appearance than the Campus School. However, there is no promise that the Kennedy Day School has what is most important for our students and their families: a loving community.
A main point that we, as volunteers, have been forced to focus on is what our role would be if this collaboration occurs. Granted, two miles does not seem very far, but how will we get there? Is it reasonable to assume that volunteers will walk two miles, volunteer for an hour, and then walk two miles back, all during a regular school day? I do not doubt the heart and commitment of our community for a second, but that is far too much to ask. After Boston College posted a link on the “Support for Boston College Campus School” Facebook page, I asked them if the university would provide transportation. I was told no decisions had been made yet, and that they would pass my information along to a joint advisory committee. I have yet to hear back from anyone.
Caption: Some of the chairs of the Campus School Volunteers on this year’s retreat
The next question, of course, is what will happen to our faculty and staff? This is another question that the university has been skirting around, which is alarming. I am sure the staff of the Kennedy Day School is more than capable of caring for our students, but there is a special bond between our current teachers and the students, as well as their families. These bonds have been fostered for years, and they are now trusting, open and comforting relationships. To suddenly take that away from the students would be disruptive to the education they are already receiving.
Finally, the most important factor in this decision: the happiness of the students and their families. If you have never been inside of the Campus School, I urge you to take a walk around. Just look into the classrooms and see the laughter and joy. See the progress each student has made. See the look of pure bliss on the teachers’ faces after a student reaches a milestone. The families of the Campus School students love the school. They love the staff. They love the volunteers. They love the fact that they know when their child is at school, he or she is receiving the love, attention and acceptance that is deserved.
I am willing to argue that the Campus School is the happiest place on Boston College’s campus. I know many volunteers would agree with me that regardless of how my day is going, walking into the Campus School will always make me smile.
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I would also like to clarify that as an organization, we are not asking you to hate Boston College for this issue. I won’t lie, I am angry. I am also confused, and I am sad. But that is not because I hate Boston College. In fact, I love Boston College. That is why I am willing to reach out to officials and remind them what it means to be “men and women for others.” I want to give Boston College the opportunity to stop before a decision is made that could potentially hurt many, many people. Boston College has taught me far too many things for me to count. Now, I believe it is our turn to teach them something and guide them through a difficult process.
At this point in time, all we want is to be heard. This is a very important decision, and because we are so close to the source, our Campus School family would like the chance to express our thoughts. I can speak for the officers of the Campus School Volunteers when I say we have been transparent so far in our efforts to educate the public on what is happening in the school, and I don’t think it is too much to ask the same of the university. Together, we can make the best decision for our magnificent, passionate and perfect students.
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