The Fayette Citizen-News Page
Friday, March 12, 1999
Lines are changing

By JOHN THOMPSON
Coweta Editor

[an error occurred while processing this directive]

Despite outcries of "You've sold us out" by angry parents, the Coweta County Board of Education Tuesday night approved a controversial new set of attendance lines for next year.

The new lines were drawn because the county is opening up Smokey Road Middle School in the fall and affect the county's middle school students. The most controversial aspect of the plan has students living in Newnan Pines, Heritage Hills and Lakehills going to O.P. Evans Middle School next year.

The students are currently attending Madras Middle School and several parents beseeched the board to leave their children at Madras.

John Parker lives in Heritage Hills and has a son at Madras this year. He wondered what process the board used to make their decision.

"This decision was based on poor information and misinformation. Hire a consultant instead of making these kneejerk moves," he said.

Other parents told the board that middle school students need continuity and the children needed to stay with their friends

"Our neighborhood has moved every two or three years and it's not right for the children or the community," said Nancy Jackson.

The board approved the new boundary lines which carve up the county into five middle school districts with one major change from earlier plans. Students in the Moreland community will now all attend Smokey Road instead of having some students head to East Coweta Middle. Board member wade Corley had met with members of the community and said the community wanted its children all going to one school instead of being split up between two different schools.

The only dissenter in approving the lines was board member Rick Melville.

"I really understand how the people in Newnan Pines, Heritage Hills and Lakehills feel about Madras. We shouldn't ignore them," he said.

The board also decided not to adjust the high school lines until the growth dictated building a new high school.


What do you think of this story?
Click here to send a message to the editor. Click here to post an opinion on our Message Board, "The Citizen Forum"

Back to News Home Page | Back to the top of the page