You're not gonna believe this.
After 3 1/2 years of neighborhood peace, I was jolted out of my chair last month by that dreaded sound that I was told would never be heard again unless there was a lockdown - those stupid, mother-jumping bells!
Must be a test to make sure they still work in case there ever IS a lockdown, right?
Well, the "test" has been going on every day since!
Perhaps the new principal at the Middle School - Corey Jones - wasn't aware of what transpired before, so I wrote him a friendly email on October 1, congratulating him on his new job and telling him what transpired over the last couple of decades and the resolution.
To illustrate my point, I included an A/V clip of the bells from several years ago. I then thanked him for his anticipated assistance in the matter and wished him well in is new position.
He replied on October 3 in an appropriate manner:
"Thank you for bringing this matter to my attention. I will certainly look into rectifying this issue. As soon as I am able to get feedback on how or when the outside bells can be reconfigured I will provide you with followup on the situation."
The bells continued.
One of the more idiotic aspects of the previous bells problem was that no one at the school had the sense to turn them off before holidays. You've read what I posted in this thread when the bells sounded all day long on Christmas and other holidays.
I again experienced that staff thoughtlessness this past Monday, October 14 - Columbus Day (no school) - when the bells started sounding off to no one but local residents. That and the fact that no one could find the off switch in the two weeks since my original email to Mr. Jones, made me think that perhaps no one had any intention of fixing the problem.
So, knowing when the bells would go off next, I walked over to the school and took a video with the aging flip phone that captured the sound while showing an empty employee parking lot (in a tiny picture that YouTube blew up). You can see/hear it for yourself:
That day, I wrote Mr. Jones again, sending him the video and the link to this thread, so he would know exactly what transpired prior to his appointment as principal. I also expressed disappointment that no one was able to locate the "OFF" switch in the previous two weeks nor did anyone bother to turn the bells off for the holiday.
I was hoping this SIMPLE matter could be resolved without going through the BoE and its Buildings and Grounds supervisor, but I'm beginning to have my doubts.
He replied early this morning:
"The bells will now be turned off on all weekends and holidays. However, we do need the external bells on during the normal school day so that they can be heard by students and staff who are outside during recess and PE."
I guess I'm not getting through. Time to increase the volume (hey - turnabout is fair play, right?).
My immediate reply:
"This is not a solution. It brings us right back to the original problem. Most of the time, no one is even outside. Why must the neighborhood be subjected to that again at such volume?
Your "need" is for a sound that covers only your property - why must it be heard blocks away? If you know what light trespass is in light pollution, you also know that this is sound trespass - sound pollution. Do educators not understand that?
Have you considered at least toning it down? Didn't a volume control come with this system? Hundreds of your neighbors don't need to know when every period begins and ends.
Have you considered placing speakers on your periphery and aiming them inward toward the people that need to hear them instead of using the outward overkill system that exists now?
Have you considered ANY option that shows some consideration for all the residents and church and funeral services within earshot of these unnecessary blasts?
The 9:32am blast just went off...............no one is outside."
He just wrote back:
"I am currently exploring the option of turning the volume down on the external bells. I understand your concern and consider your request to be reasonable. However, it is imperative that I ensure that any modification to our bell system does not have an adverse impact on our operational procedures. I will be in touch once I receive feedback on adjusting the volume."
Stay tuned.
By the way - when the next blast went off at 10:22am, no one was outside.