GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — Some Gwinnett County parents who fought to keep their children in the schools they love earned a win in a redistricting fight regarding overcrowding.
Channel 2 Gwinnett County bureau chief Matt Johnson was live at district headquarters for Channel 2 Action News at 6:00.
The school board said they admired the parents’ dedication.
Gwinnett is like a lot of school districts where growth will drive some decisions that won’t sit well with everyone.
District leaders say the challenge going forward is balancing empathy with equity.
“We moved to Central Park in Loganville for one reason, the main reason, to be in the Grayson cluster,” one parent said.
For months, hundreds of Grayson families feared losing the schools they chose.
“For children with special needs, consistency is not optional. It is foundational,” a parent said.
Thursday night the school board voted to keep three neighborhoods in the Grayson cluster after parents organized to fight the district’s redistricting plan.
The battle started in September when families in Central Park, Bennett Farm and Eleanora learned they’d be moved to Archer Schools.
More than 200 parents signed a letter. More flooded the district survey.
“They labored over this, and I know they labored because I spent hours on the phone with each one of them,” Interim Superintendent Dr. Al Taylor said.
At the hearing, parents questioned the impact on their kids and how the district communicated the plan.
Board members listened.
“Your feedback made a difference. And this change also is part of making sure that one, we have some lessons learned,” Dr. Tarece Johnson-Morgan said. “One of the lessons that we learn is, I believe there is a five-year communication plan so that we can maintain.”
The board approved redistricting to open Dr. Mary Kay Murphy Middle School next fall but pulled the three Grayson neighborhoods from the plan.
Other neighborhoods shifted to open the new school and relieve Alcova Elementary.
The decision bought these neighborhoods time, but more will face this same fight when the district is likely faced with the issue somewhere else.
“If GCPS wants to earn and keep the trust of families, this process must change,” parent Ashley Awell said.
Board member Rachel Stone mentioned hope for a five-year communication plan to avoid parents having just months to organize.
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