DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — DeKalb County parents and students rallied at Lakeside High School on Monday to protest a district proposal to close or consolidate several elementary schools.
The DeKalb County School District is considering the plan to address a decline of 20,000 students over the last 10 years.
In February, the school district released its initial consolidation plan. On Friday, they released a second list of proposed school consolidations.
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Schools currently listed for potential changes include Oak Grove, Henderson Mill and Evansdale elementary schools.
Channel 2’s Eryn Rogers was at the rally that took place outside Lakeside High School, which is situated between two of the elementary schools facing potential closure.
Protesters carried signs with messages to “Save Our Schools” to voice their opposition to the district’s recommendations. Participants stated they intended to continue fighting against the proposed changes.
Claire Kostopoulos serves as the PTO president for Henderson Mill Elementary School. She expressed concern over the information being used by district officials to justify the consolidations.
“You’re playing with our kids’ future with these recommendations,” Kostopoulos said. “This is serious, and it doesn’t seem like the data is accurate.”
Students also joined the protest to express how the consolidation would affect their social circles and school communities. Willow Alexander, a DeKalb County student, said the plan could separate her from her peers.
“I have a bunch of friends there and I might not be able to be with them and that’s not ok with me,” Alexander said.
As part of the second phase of the plan, the district is considering restructuring some elementary schools rather than closing them entirely.
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Under this model, some buildings would house students from pre-K through third grade, while others would serve fourth and fifth grade students as dedicated centers.
Arielle McKee, a parent in the district, noted that while restructuring is a potential alternative to closing buildings, the “pre-middle school” concept is not widely supported.
“Obviously, that sounds better than closing it, but I don’t think anyone is wanting to have a pre-middle school,” McKee said.
Following the initial rally, the district moved the meeting inside for a small-group workshop. Parents were divided into high school clusters and classrooms to brainstorm ideas and share specific concerns with district representatives.
Despite the workshop setting, some parents left the meeting feeling their specific local issues were overlooked.
Parent Philip Creviston said the district’s approach feels too broad.
“I feel like the county is not hearing the cluster’s needs,” Creviston said. “They’re looking at a solution as a whole.”
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