As the ANC1B02 commissioner, I am strongly opposed to the proposed closure of Garrison Elementary. This school is only improving, in large measure due to the highly organized PTA and their active outreach and engagement with the community (including the ANC).

Many of my constituents have children who attend Garrison, and many other couples in the neighborhood have babies who plan to send their children there. As a neighborhood school that parents can walk their children to, there is an added incentive to stay in the DCPS system. If the school were to close, many parents would look elsewhere rather than walk their child to Seaton which is farther away, doesn’t have an active PTA and is not considered as progressive as the Garrison community.

In addition, there are few parks in the neighborhood and the Garrison grounds have the potential to become an urban park not only for students but also Logan Circle and U Street/Shaw residents.

Last, as a Commissioner who hears frequently about neighborhood crime, I am gravely concerned about a vacant building and the consequences it will have on the community’s safety and well-being.