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Parents voice concerns over day care building safety

University Village Apartments
Miranda Metheny
/
KBIA

Parents who take their children to the Student Parent Center at University Village are concerned about the center’s safety.

The daycare, which is located in the same complex where a balcony collapsed Feb. 22 and led to a firefighter's death, has parents questioning the University of Missouri’s plans to ensure safety and reliability. 

Claire Schmidt, who drops her daughter off at the Student Parent Center while she’s at work, said there is a lack of communication between the university and parents.

“No one has answered my emails." Schmidt said. "And no one has really answered anyone’s questions. All we want to know is ‘Do I have to find another daycare for my daughter?'"

Schmidt said she is concerned about the center’s future.

“We don’t know if the day care center is going to still be there," Schmidt said. "It seems really clear that these buildings are falling to pieces. So it seems like it's going to have to be done, and I’m very concerned that the university is going to let the Student Parent Center die."

MU spokesperson Christian Basi said they have had effective communication with parents.

“We have communicated with parents using many different avenues including meetings with them, by an email or written communication as well as meeting with any parents or face-to-face communication any time they have brought a concern to us,” Basi said.

Basi said the structure of the center is safe.

“We had every building in the University Village Apartment Complex inspected for structural issues and that included the building that houses the Student Parent Center," Basi said. "All of those buildings were declared structurally sound."

Future plans for the Student Parent Center have not been confirmed.

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