Oct 15, 2024 Story by: Editor
Parents voiced strong emotions during a Tuesday night meeting focused on redrawing Fort Mill Schools’ district lines and reassigning 2,600 students over the next two years.
“I respect the difficulty of these decisions, but logic is the clear path,” stated Fort Mill resident Laura Edwards.
According to district leaders, they received 450 emails from residents across 11 neighborhoods in response to an initial map drafted by a consultant. Although a revised map was presented at the meeting, many parents remained dissatisfied.
“I’m very disappointed in the district’s recommendation,” Edwards expressed.
Edwards, who lives in the Habersham neighborhood, faces the prospect of seeing over 100 local students moved next year to a school approximately 30 minutes away.
“We are putting in a pedestrian walkway to our neighborhood schools that is going to be fully funded by the community,” she added.
Another parent, Robbins from the Knights Ridge community, shared her frustration, noting that her neighborhood has been rezoned four times over the past decade, splitting up students.
“We moved them back to go to school where the rest of their neighborhood was going to be going to school,” Robbins remarked.
The redistricting aligns with the opening of Flint Hill Elementary and Middle Schools, which are located near the controversial Silfab solar facility.
School district officials are awaiting Silfab’s emergency response plan due to potential hazardous chemicals at the facility.
“What we received in information today was that those plans were approved by the EPA and also that our schools do not fall under any mandatory evacuation zone, even at the worst level of an issue at the plant,” stated Joe Burke, chief communications officer with Fort Mill Schools.
Robbins, however, voiced concerns, saying, “I’m not worried about them evacuating. I’m worried about my kid blowing up. I know what hydrochloric acid is.”
Parents are urging the district to take further action to protect students and staff.
“Flint Hill should not have children in it until Silfab is closed,” Robbins insisted.
Burke responded, “It’s not realistic. The schools are currently in construction. At this point, we don’t even know if Silfab will open. Again, there are multiple court cases that are going to make that decision.”
The district plans to post the updated map on Wednesday, and the community will have another opportunity to give feedback at a meeting on Nov. 4. The school board is scheduled to vote on the final version on Nov. 5, Election Day. Source: Yahoo News
