Wake County Schools

'These are lives ... you are impacting forever': Wake parents ask school board not to reassign their children

If the Wake County Board of Education reassigns students to different schools next year, it would take children away from their friends, affect their social and emotional health, cause safety issues on the road when new student drivers are forced to travel farther to school and cause upheaval in families who are switched to a new school calendar.
Posted 2019-11-20T02:30:41+00:00 - Updated 2019-11-20T03:01:46+00:00
Some not happy with proposed school assignment plan

If the Wake County Board of Education reassigns students to different schools next year, it would take children away from their friends, affect their social and emotional health, cause safety issues on the road when new student drivers are forced to travel farther to school and cause upheaval in families who are switched to a new school calendar.

Those were some of the concerns 30 parents shared at Tuesday's school board meeting as the board works to finalize the 2020-21 school assignment plan. The board will vote on the plan Dec. 3.

The proposed changes, which are expected to affect nearly 2,000 students, are being made in response to the district building two new schools to keep up with growth and help prevent overcrowding in the next two years. The new schools are:

  • South Lakes Elementary, 1433 Old Honeycutt Road, Fuquay-Varina, opening in August 2020
  • Willow Spring High School, 1704 Old Honeycutt Road, Fuquay-Varina, opening in August 2021

Earlier this month, the district released a second draft of its assignment plan after hearing initial feedback from families, some of which was shared in an online forum. Tuesday's meeting allowed parents to share their concerns in a public hearing.

"This seems to be an annual exercise of shuffling things around and hoping they stick," said parent Nathan Green, of Apex, who urged board members to find better long-term solutions instead of making short-term fixes.

Mindy Varkevisser, of Cary, cried as she told board members how much time and care she has invested in Highcroft Drive Elementary. Under the current reassignment proposal, her second-grader would have to go to a new school where she doesn't know anybody and would be on a different calendar from her siblings, Varkevisser explained.

Mary Ann Louw, of Holly Springs, cautioned board members about sending new student drivers to schools that are farther from their homes. Her home is less than 2 miles from Holly Springs High School, but the current reassignment plan would send her child farther away to Fuquay-Varina High School.

"Please keep the safety of our children in your thoughts are you’re making this decision," Louw said.

Carrie Bley, also of Holly Springs, urged board members to think about how their decisions impact students and families, many of whom moved to certain parts of the county to attend specific schools.

"I hope that when you look at these maps, you really do see that these are lives, and they’re lives that you are impacting forever," she said.

Sally Hare, of Wake Forest, said her twins currently attend Heritage Middle School and were looking forward to attending Wake Forest High School but would be reassigned to Wakefield High under the current proposal.

"I'd really like you to stop and consider what this will do for kids … to their social development," Hare said. "They have to walk away from all the things that they know."

The current reassignment proposal, known as Draft 2, includes the following changes:

  • Students who were proposed to be reassigned from Highcroft Drive Elementary to Salem Elementary in Draft 1 are now proposed to attend Turner Creek Elementary. That provides families with a more proximate school assignment and helps ensure Salem Elementary doesn’t get too crowded while still relieving crowding at Highcroft Drive.
  • Students who were proposed to be reassigned from Brassfield Elementary to Wakefield Elementary are now proposed to remain at Brassfield. Staff plans to make a revised recommendation next year. Draft 1 split the River Run neighborhood.
  • Students who were proposed to be reassigned from Fuquay-Varina Middle to North Garner Middle in Draft 1 are now proposed to attend West Lake Middle. That provides families with a more proximate school assignment while still relieving crowding at Fuquay-Varina Middle.
  • A northern portion of the Highcroft Drive Elementary base that currently is undeveloped is proposed to be reassigned to Carpenter Elementary and Alston Ridge Middle. That will help prevent future overcrowding at Highcroft Drive Elementary.
  • Currently undeveloped land will be added to the Fuquay-Varina High base. That will help ensure a healthy school population at Fuquay-Varina High. The draft 1 proposal would have reduced Fuquay-Varina High School to 69% capacity in 2023-24.

Board Chairman Jim Martin previously thanked families for sharing feedback about the proposal and said while some changes have been made in response to that feedback, not all requests can be granted.

"I do want to acknowledge the frustration, the heartache that comes with student assignment," he said at a meeting earlier this month.

Under the new student assignment proposal, some students would be eligible to request to grandfather and stay at their current school. Grandfather requests can be made during a special application period Dec. 11-20. Grandfathered students do not receive district transportation.

Draft 2 marks the final recommendation from Wake schools' staff. Any changes to the proposal going forward would come from the direction of the school board. If necessary, the board will discuss any additional changes at a work session on the afternoon of Dec. 3. A final vote is expected at the regular board meeting starting at 5:30 p.m. on Dec. 3.

The proposed changes come as the school board is discussing ways to balance student diversity across schools. Board members have discussed using county economic health data, including household income, food stamp usage, rent and mortgage rates and poverty levels, to help guide their long-term work.

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