After Two Months, Parents Say District Has Yet to Make Necessary Repairs at Gardner Pilot Academy

Months after parents first reported roof leaks in a second-grade classroom at the Gardner Pilot Academy in Allston, Boston Public Schools has yet to begin repairs — even as successive snowstorms have worsened the damage.

Parents first reported the issue to school administrators following heavy snowfall in January, describing water infiltrating the roof in multiple locations and spreading damage to an internal wall of the classroom. Sections of the ceiling have yellowed from moisture, drywall has begun to peel away, and debris has fallen onto students’ belongings and storage cabinets below.

Water has since seeped into the hallway outside the classroom due to structural problems with the building, according to a GPA parent who first emailed Principal Katherine Atkins-Pattenson on Jan. 21.

Atkins-Pattenson replied the following day, confirming the school had filed work orders for repairs with the district. As of early March — days after a storm dropped nearly 20 inches of snow on Greater Boston — multiple parents said work has not yet begun.

A BPS spokesperson confirmed in a statement to The Crimson that the school “has experienced roof leaks” and wrote that “student and staff safety remains our highest priority.”

A full roof replacement is expected to cost $2 million. BPS Facilities has submitted a formal funding request, which remains pending allocation and approval.

Boston City Council President Elizabeth A. “Liz” Breadon, who represents Allston-Brighton, wrote in a statement that she was “in active communication” with BPS Facilities to ensure repairs are made. She attributed the delay in part to recent weather, but wrote that she was concerned about the district’s long-term approach to its buildings.

“This specific issue at the GPA is reflective of a much broader pattern for BPS,” Breadon wrote. “Numerous Boston Public School buildings throughout the City are in urgent need of repairs to ensure they can function safely.”

Breadon’s office described BPS’s long-term facilities plan as a framework “without any prescription or details on implementation.”

A BPS spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment on the district’s long-term planning.

GPA parents said the damage reflects a broader neglect of Allston-Brighton schools. The Jackson Mann school was plagued by water leakage and ceiling damage before BPS permanently closed it in June 2022. The district also approved the closure of the Mary Lyon Pilot School last January, leaving the neighborhood with fewer educational options for families.

“This is an environmental concern, and then also the safety concern now that the plaster — it’s been dislodged, it’s been interfered with by water,” said Troy Brogan, a GPA parent. “Could it now fall down from the ceiling and hit the kids on the head?”

Parents were careful to distinguish between the school’s administration and the district at large. Brogan said communication with GPA staff had been positive, but that responsibility for the delay lay elsewhere.

“This is no shame on them,” he said. “It’s more BPS, from the administrative level, should have done a better job.”

—Staff writer Thamini Vijeyasingam can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on X @vijeyasingam.