Hope may spring eternal for some parents and children from last month's bitter boundary dispute with the Coweta County Board of Education.

Superintendent of education Richard Brooks said this week that he is looking at a proposal that would allow some students to stay at their current schools.

The school system is researching a proposal that would allow students who have already been moved twice to stay at their present schools.

“The change would impact only those students who have been moved twice since they've been in our school system,” Brooks said.

System officials are checking to see how many students would fall under this proposal and are expected to deliver a recommendation at the April 11 school board meeting.

The granfathering proposal is the latest step in one of the most divisive attendance line disputes in years.

Feb. 8, the board voted 5-1 to alter the lines to better reflect the demographic makeup of the county and redistribute the “at-risk” children to different schools.

The vote was the final act of a nearly year-long opera that consumed school administrators, the school board and school officials.

But the parents have believed the system's motives were elsewhere.

“It's illegal and it's called busing,” said parent Michael Mayor.

Emotional mom Tracy Borman said she was extremely disappointed with the school system. “You're using our small children to try and get better test scores,” she said.

Peter Skrmetti asked why the board wanted public comment on the matter when it seemed the matter was already decided.

Many have said the impetus for the change was Pathway Communities, the development company that is developing the 2,500-home SummerGrove subdivision.

The new subdivision is next to Newnan Crossing Elementary School, which is the lowest ranking school in the system and also is currently more than 80 percent minority.

Under the approved lines, Newnan Crossing will decrease its minority population to just over 30 percent, while White Oak Elementary School will see its minority population rise from 6 percent to 24 percent.

Board member Bill Covington said the board had been struggling with this problem for over a year and had looked at all the options.

“We just want to make sure we treat all kids fairly,” he said.

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