Potential elementary school closure would have ripple effects, parents say

Fulton County Schools completed a series of community meetings on Monday regarding potential elementary school closings.

Since September, school district officials have listened to parents’ comments rejecting plans to permanently close Spalding Drive Elementary in Sandy Springs and Parklane Elementary in East Point. Officials cite decreased enrollment and aging buildings.

The question now is if the school district will decide according to parents’ wishes and keep the schools open. The school board will cast a preliminary vote on Jan. 14. A final vote on the matter takes place on Feb. 20.

A statement from the Save Spalding Drive Elementary School Parent Committee said families are being forced “into inconvenient school placements” that will cause “overcrowding at the remaining schools” and “destabilize a well-established educational environment.”

Spalding Drive Elementary students would be transferred to Ison Springs Elementary, Woodland Elementary and Heards Ferry Elementary.

During Monday’s meeting at Riverwood High School, Sandy Springs parents who have children attending elementary schools across the city voiced opposition to plans for the closure of Spalding Drive Elementary. A similar meeting was held in East Point last Thursday.

According to a draft of school district changes in Sandy Springs, when students reach the end of elementary school, some would not go with their class to the traditional neighborhood middle and high schools.

At Heards Ferry Elementary, for example, 8 pecent of students would go to Sandy Springs Middle School and North Springs High School instead of Ridgeview Middle and Riverwood High.

Similarly, at Woodland Elementary, 13 percent of students would move on to Ridgeview and Riverwood instead of Sandy Springs Middle and North Springs High School.

The changes would disrupt students at a “crucial time in their life,” parents said.

Parents said they worry about a shortage of pre-K classrooms at elementary schools located in Sandy Springs. Spalding Drive Elementary has two pre-K classrooms. If the school closes, the loss would add to a decrease in future enrollment at elementary schools overall, parents said.