The Fayette Board of Education heard the complaints of frustrated parents and decided Monday night not to change any of its elementary school lines.

The announcement set off wild applause among the more than 200 parents crammed into the board’s meeting room in Fayetteville.

In a prepared statement, Superintendent of Education John DeCotis said the parents’ input made a huge impact on the decision.

“However, based on feedback concerning the proposed changes, the decision has been made to wait and implement a comprehensive change rather than take a Band-aid approach. The main reason for this decision is to ensure, as much as possible, that students are not moved now and then again in a few years,” he said.

The school system wanted to relieve overcrowding at three elementary schools next year: Burch, Peachtree City Elementary and Peeples. But in a public hearing held at Booth Middle School at the end of November, school officials got an earful about parents’ thoughts on the issue.

By far the biggest group at the hearing was a group from Wilshire Estates in Peachtree City. The subdivision is just off Ga. Highway 74, and is within walking distance of the South Complex.

The School Rezoning Committee’s proposal called for moving 107 students from Wilshire Estates that are currently attending Peeples Elementary to Braelinn Elementary. The move inflamed the passions of the parents who attended the meeting with signs and maps.

Many of the parents were upset that they were asked to move their children again in such a short period of time. In 2001, residents of the subdivision watched their children moved from Braelinn to Peeples to relieve overcrowding at Braelinn. Now, the school system was asking the students to move back to Braelinn.

The school proposal called for moving 70 students from Burch to Cleveland Elementary and North Fayette, 147 students from Peachtree City Elementary to Kedron Elementary and 107 students from Peeples to Braelinn Elementary for a total redistribution of 324 students.

But parents who are concerned about overcrowding still have an option. DeCotis announced Monday night that parents could have their children transferred to another school, as long as parents provided transportation and filled out a transfer application by Jan. 31, 2006. Students at Peachtree City can transfer to Kedron, while Burch students can head to Cleveland. Peeples students will have the option of transferring to Braelinn.

DeCotis said a full look at the boundary lines will occur in the next few years when a new elementary school is built.