A $49 million cosmetic makeover will not address Rose Hill Junior High’s biggest problems.

It is one of 19 of the Lake Washington School District’s (LWSD) 50 schools which failed to meet Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) in 2010. Rose Hill is in Step II of “In Improvement,” entering its third year of failing to meet minimum federal learning standards.

Twenty-plus years ago, Rose Hill refused to address my older son’s dysgraphia and we moved him to Kirkland Junior High after just a few months. This was in the aftermath of an on-campus shooting incident, and bullying was a huge issue, as it still is. During his single semester there, one of his teachers was fired for making racist comments in class and another was charged with sexual abuse of a female student.

I finally got inter-district transfers for both of my sons, and they ended up having much better learning experiences at Cherry Crest, Odle and Bellevue High. I would do the same again today based on Rose Hill’s sad decline.

I knew almost nothing about the pipeline until researching construction regulations. When I bought our home in 1989, its existence was not disclosed, nor was it mentioned to my son or me by the staff at Rose Hill. Ignorance sure was bliss.

I was happier not knowing that both City of Redmond and LWSD have failed to provide evacuation plans and drills, or that BP has been fined by OSHA 760 times — for unsafe work conditions, poor regulatory compliance and lack of enforcement of safety rules that led to the death of 30 employees, and injury of over 200. By contrast, Exxon has been fined once.

Anyone not worried about pipelines is either in denial or not keeping up. Deadly pipeline ruptures across the country have prompted state and federal safety legislation. It’s prudent to be skeptical when entrusting children’s lives to a company with a proven track record of lying about its own safety measures.

I voted YES on school measures for 21 years. But why build a big new school where there are so few kids that you need to bus them in? Property prices are down; real estate inventory’s up. What better time to move east where the school-age population is actually increasing?

It’s tempting to put vested interests ahead of the greater good. That’s why I’m asking everyone to realize that these quarter-inch thick pipelines will be 96 years old the next time we have a chance to relocate this school. Over 12,600 children will spend three years sitting next to this ticking time bomb during the 40-year lifespan of the proposed 900-student building. This represents too great a public safety risk, and is exactly why there is a minimum 500-foot setback for new schools.

Based on what I’ve learned about this hazardous pipeline, I am grateful that the City of Redmond had the wisdom to sign Ordinance 2137 into law. Now all they need is the courage to enforce it.

Greyling Gentry, Redmond