Another Brick in the Wall

West Contra Costa schools have some of the worst facilities in the country.

"There are too many dark areas where lights do not work, too many urinals that can not be flushed, too many vents that are dirty, too many walls that have been chipped, peeling or dingy paint, and a reported problem with rodents in the kitchen contaminating food," the report says.

"What's really around the school is years of caked-on griminess," said Gilbert Rodriguez, who oversees the after-school program. "On a cleaning level, nothing seems to be done. The bathrooms are horrendous."

I remember school being hard enough, without having to deal with mice or non-flushing toilets.