As the Newberry Elementary School (NES) charter conversion continues to make headway, the School Board of Alachua County (SBAC) is providing some alternatives for parents who do not want their child to attend the new school.
In an automated message sent to NES families on July 2, parents who do not want their child to attend the new charter school (Newberry Community School) can choose to move their child to an alternate school, based on their address, beginning this fall.
“… The primary purpose is to give parents options,” Alachua County Public Schools (ACPS) spokesperson Jackie Johnson said in a phone interview with Mainstreet.
Johnson said the district has divided up the current NES zone into “four geographic zones.”
Based on these zones, Johnson said some students would be eligible to attend High Springs Community School – up through fifth grade – while others would be allowed to attend Irby, Alachua, Archer and Terwilliger elementary schools. She also noted that students would also be eligible to attend Oak View Middle School, adding that it’s unique in that it also serves fifth graders.
Johnson said bus transportation would be offered to students who moved to one of the alternate schools, if they’re eligible, adding that students must live more than two miles from the designated school, per state statutes.
If a parent or guardian does decide to transfer his or her child from NES, he or she will need to fill out a school selection form.
“Parents got whatever form was relevant to where they live,” Johnson said. “There is a separate form depending on which school they (the students) are eligible to attend.”
For the form, Johnson said parents just need to give the name of the student(s), say they accept the child’s enrollment to the school, indicate whether he or she will need bus transportation and add their signature.
Johnson said the deadline for parents to submit the form is 10 p.m. on Wednesday, July 16.
Parents are invited to attend two meetings prior to the deadline to get more information on alternative school options.
The first meeting will be held at 10 a.m. on Thursday, July 9, and the second at 6 p.m. on Monday, July 14. Both meetings will be at NES (25707 SW 15th Ave., Newberry).
While the school board is moving forward with different options for NES families, Johnson said its efforts to appeal the charter school have not ended.
“We’re basically doing both things,” she said. “(We’re) moving forward on the appeal but also preparing for the possibility that we’re not successful with the appeal.”
A hearing to hear the school board’s appeal of the charter school is scheduled for July 16.
Nick Anschultz is a Report for America corps member and writes about education for Mainstreet Daily News.
Editor’s note: The dates for the upcoming meetings were updated per ACPS.