This letter is to respectively request the continuation of Special Permission status for currently enrolled families to attend school out of the assigned attendance area.

Currently, we have two children enrolled at Kedron Elementary School through this program. According to the presentation posted on the Fayette County Board of Education website, the Citizen Advisory Committee has recommended to the Board of Education that all special permissions be rescinded and only granted in hardship cases.

Rescinding our Special Permission status conflicts with the terms and conditions of our agreement and is not in the best interest of our children or the community. For example:

1. Neither the Fayette Board of Education Special Permission application, dated Jan. 24, 2006, nor the approval letter, dated Feb. 1, 2006, indicated Special Permission status could be rescinded. In fact, the approval letter stated unequivocally, “Approved requests are valid for the current level of education (elementary, middle, high school). This application needs to be renewed prior to attending the next level of education, such as elementary school going to middle school or middle school going to high school.”

2. Rescinding Special Permission status and adoption of Alternative B would force my children to attend a school (Peachtree Elementary) that is over-capacity (currently and projected after redistricting) while moving them from a school (Kedron Elementary) that is under-capacity (currently and projected after redistricting).

Enrolling our children outside the assigned attendance area to attend a highly recognized, less crowded school is exactly the reason why we sought Special Permission status in the first place. At the time, Arlene Law, residency/attendance officer, school operations, thanked us for voluntarily requesting special permission since it helped alleviate the over-capacity at Peachtree Elementary.

To rescind our Special Permission status and return the children to an over-capacity school would be a grave injustice to our family, a hardship to our children and a disservice to the community.

3. No rationale was provided by the Citizen Advisory Committee on why Special Permission status should be was rescinded or why this is in the best interest of the children or community.

Furthermore, no analysis was offered by the committee detailing the impact of maintaining Special Permission status for currently enrolled families. Without this detailed analysis, the recommendation by the Citizen Advisory Committee to rescind Special Permission appears to be arbitrary and capricious.

4. Special Permission status could be continued regardless of the final changes to the existing school district boundaries.

Thank you for your careful consideration to this matter.

Robert and Krista Lucich

Peachtree City, Ga.