Raleigh families walk to class in protest of Wake County school reassignment plan
Some parents and students in one north Raleigh neighborhood walked to school on Friday morning in support of their community in response to a school reassignment plan they feel isn't fair.
The gesture came after they learned details about school reassignment in Wake County, which could impact where many children learn. If the plan goes into effect, some families won't be able to take a leisurely stroll to school like they did on Friday.
Abbots Creek Elementary is one of the schools that will be impacted by the district's reassignment plan. Parents and students gathered at the Green Hills County Park to show solidarity. Families in this neighborhood are not happy about the shuffle. The proposed move would break up Falls River and Abbotts Creek communities, meaning some students would be sent to Durant Elementary, a year-round school. The decision, made amid rapid growth and overcrowding in some schools in the county, impacts about 3,000 students.
Parents are worried that students will lose their sense of community if they're moved to a different school.
"We are wondering why it is happening so fast all over Wake County," said parent Cammie Sollie. "With COVID-19, kids have already been dealt so much and have had to handle so much, and now, kids are being shuffled all over the county."
Parents have a chance to voice their opinion at the end of the month during a public meeting. The Wake County Public Schools Board of Education will make their final vote on Dec. 7.
"We also are trying to provide relief to overcrowded or capped schools, as well as provide support to under-utilized schools," said Glenn Carrozza, assistant superintendent for school choice, planning and assignment in Wake County. Abbott's Creek Elementary is one of several schools in the district over capacity.
On Wednesday, Carrozza reiterated that the plan is still in draft and not complete yet.
Three new schools are opening in the county, including Apex Friendship Elementary School, Barton Pond Elementary School in Raleigh and Herbert Akins Road Middle School in Fuquay-Varina.
