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children from using their school facilities after hours, (unless one <br />pays to become a member of the exclusive Kids Club or pays to be in the <br />after-school day care program.) <br /> <br />a/ Hearst School is the closest school to the Bernal proper2y and <br />serves the children in the area surrounding the Bernal property during <br />school hours. <br /> <br />b) Hearst School facilities are closed (locked) to the children (the <br />public) after school, unless accompanied by an adult. Everyone is <br />locked out after 6 pm in the evenings, closed on weekends, and closed <br />all sumpter. <br /> <br />c) Hearst School has a Gym (the multipurpose center) which is now used <br />as a profit center for the City of Pleasanton's Park & Recreation <br />Department, and when it is not used as a profit center, it is locked to <br />the children (the public). <br /> <br />d) Hearst School Gymnasium (multipurpose center) is off-limits to Dads, <br />Moms and kids after school hours. Children accompanied by parents <br />cannot use the facility, and are told that they cannot play with <br />members of the Kids Club (their classmates) because they "pay good <br />money" to be in the after school "club". <br /> <br />e) Hearst School has effectively privatized its playground after school <br />for the lucky few members of the "Kids Club" whose parents pay <br />$400/month+. <br /> <br />f) Hearst School students (children) feel unwelcome in the afternoon <br />on their own campus after hours, because of the privatization of the <br />public school. (The children silently and sadly accept this fact of <br />their lives.) <br /> <br /> g) The leadership of the school and community park and recreation <br /> cannot or do not want to speak up about this sad fact, or make a change. <br /> <br /> Question: If children from the neighborhoods surrounding the Bernal <br /> property don't have a place to congregate for self-organized <br /> activities, like a school playground, what can an interested parent <br /> (Mom or Dad) do? Volunteer. <br /> <br /> Fact 2: Volunteering to offer facilitated play for the neighborhood <br /> children is not possible at Hearst School. <br /> <br /> Options for a parent: <br /> a) One must pay the City of Pleasanton for after school care. (If the <br /> parent is available after school, why pay?) <br /> <br />b) One must pay $400 per month per child for Kids Club (If the parent <br /> is available after school, why pay?) <br /> <br /> c) One can try (in vain) to become someone who has access to the <br /> facility by offering a "course" through the adult education, offered at <br /> the school, but this is a money-making venture for the school which <br /> requires charging fees. <br /> <br /> Summary: There appears to be no possibility for parents to facilitate <br /> play for children at their local elementary school. <br /> <br /> Result: In the neighborhoods surrounding the Bernal Property, the <br /> children are left by the PUSD leadership and City of Pleasanton Parks <br /> and Community Services to play in the streets. The longer the Bernal <br /> property is discussed, the older the young children become and the more <br /> they suffer for the lack of leadership. <br /> <br /> The Opportunity <br /> Having studied the situation, with children of my own ages 6 and 7, I <br /> 6 <br /> <br /> <br />