In June, [Fayette County School Superintendent] Dr. Dave Brotherton was charged with forming a rezoning committee for the middle schools. "He said it would consist of residents of subdivisions that could be affected" (Atlanta Journal/Constitution, June 18, 1998, p. JM3).

Let me share the addresses of committee members a representative from Whitewater Creek resides on Birkdale Drive. A Timberlake representative resides on Pepperwood. The High Grove representative lives on Quarters Road, as does the representative for the Rising Starr Middle School. A representative for the Whitewater Middle School resides on Grandview Trail.

If you have any trouble locating the top four streets, let me help you. Three of the four are off Redwine Road, north of Bernard Road right behind Whitewater Middle School. Three of these individuals actually live on the same road (the two on Quarters Road and the one on Birkdale).

This entire committee, which was to include areas to be rezoned, did not change their own attendance zones. The map I've included shows the approximate district lines for the two schools as they have been redrawn.

Dr. Brotherton stated at the November meeting of the Fayette County School Board that he had advertised for this committee, implying no response from Brooks residents. However, neither the board of education nor anyone else has been able to provide evidence of any such advertisement.

While the school board did not know that two whole zip code areas, mainly Senoia and Brooks residents, were not represented by this committee, when it was brought to their attention they still refused to reconsider.

The southern part of the county feels rejected by the board's comments.

Mrs. Carmela Giacabello and I were on the agenda at the most recent school board meeting to request reconsideration of the redistricting. However, they denied our requests to reevaluate even before either of us had a chance to speak. No one will ever know if Brooks residents would have come up with the same plan.

Buses going to the South Complex will continue to go down my street every day, but my children will be going to Whitewater Middle School 10 miles away as opposed to Rising Starr Middle School five miles away.

All the while, students on Busbin Road (about a mile from Whitewater Middle School) will be bused down to the South Complex.

What is even more frustrating is that one plan for busing Brooks children to Whitewater involves them riding to the Rising Starr Middle School, changing buses, and then riding another several miles north to Whitewater.

Even though this plan has not yet been solidified, it presents serious logical problems and compounds our frustrations.

I don't claim to have all the answers. I'm just one of many concerned parents in south Fayette County. We had 360 signatures on our petition for reconsideration that was presented to the school board.

We are concerned about our children's safety and well-being and the distance and time they must travel on buses each day, as well as the board of education's apparent lack of effort to involve the southern part of the county in their decision.