School Changes Concern Parents
By LUKE R. MITCHELL
Droves of parents showed up at the Putnam County School Board meeting to voice their concerns about the rezoning effort spurred by the new elementary school in Teays Valley.
Those in attendance said they’re worried their children might be uprooted from the schools where they began their education.
Although Superintendent Harold Hatfield said at the last meeting this is really an elementary issue, most parents expressed concerns that the elementary rezoning project may also affect middle and high school students in Winfield and Hurricane.
Parents said while they once had the option of sending their children to either Hurricane or Winfield schools, they’ll be locked in to one or another once the zoning for the new Teays Valley elementary is set.
Students who attend Scott Teays will continue on in Winfield schools, while those who attend West Teays and the new elementary school in Teays Valley will wind up at Hurricane High.
Winfield High School was recently recognized as a West Virginia Exemplary School.
Parent Denise Sneeringer said she researched school systems before moving almost five years ago, and she and her family chose to live in a neighborhood that would filter into Winfield High.
Now, with the new zoning plan, her children would attend Hurricane schools.
"We bought the school system, not the house," Sneeringer said.
Sneeringer and several other parents are asking the board to consider adopting a grandfather clause that would allow all the siblings in a family to attend the same schools. Sneeringer already has older children attending Scott Teays Elementary and Winfield Middle School.
At least three speakers at Monday’s meeting said they bought their homes in Putnam County based on the school district.
Parent Steve Hoffman said that Winfield schools are a major draw for property owners in the area and are even mentioned in the listings for homes that are up for sale.
Hoffman went on to say that redistricting pre-teens and teens, forcing them to leave behind friends, would be a recipe for future social problems.
Even some students are anxious about the zoning.
"I want to graduate from the school I’ve gone to for five years," said Anna Lee Raines, a fourth-grader at Scott Teays Elementary. "Me and my friends are worried."
The new elementary school in Teays Valley is set to open next school year.
Superintendent Harold Hatfield said he expects the school board will take measures to make sure students will not be uprooted from their schools and siblings will not be separated.
"We want to initiate as little amount of change as possible," Hatfield said.
"There’s no intent from anyone to uproot students, especially on the middle school and high school level."
Board member Sam Sentelle said the proposal calls for the least possible amount of student shifting.
"This board is one of the most liberal, regarding out-of-zone policies, that I’ve ever sat on," Sentelle said.
He suggested that the transfer criteria for determining whether a student can remain in a certain zone be if the student currently attends the school or if he or she has siblings that do.
Assistant Superintendent Robert Hull said the new elementary zone would affect about 400 to 420 students, approximately 75 to 100 from Scott Teays and the rest from West Teays Elementary.
"I know students don’t come in nice and neat groups," Hull said. "But this will help equalize enrollments in these elementary schools."
The approximate enrollment for Scott Teays, after new renovations and additions, will be about 359 students, while West Teays will have about 408 and the new elementary will have 431.
The proposed zone boundaries for the new elementary school in Teays Valley, beginning from the east, are South Poplar Fork Road extending to U.S. 60, extending west to a point near 3751 Teays Valley Road up to, not including, New London Commons. The northern boundary runs to Interstate 64, while the southern boundary is U.S. 60, a common boundary with Lakeside Elementary.
The board will again consider the issue at its next meeting, set for Dec. 17.
Originally published by FOR THE DAILY MAIL.
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