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Murphy – Unhappy responses have been simmering following a Cherokee County Board of Education decision on Jan. 18 that will have students criss-crossing western Cherokee County starting next school year.
With no advance notice to parents, faculty or staff, the school board voted to move Hiwassee Dam Elementary School students to Ranger Elementary School, Ranger middle-schoolers to Hiwassee Dam and Martins Creek middle-schoolers to Murphy Middle School. The changes take effect in the 2024-25 school year, following any campus retrofits to accommodate the changes.
The board is still weighing its options for the fates of Martins Creek Elementary and Peachtree Elementary schools, which could be merged into one school, but not without expensive retrofits at either campus.
An online petition at change.org titled, “Stop School Board Overreach,” gathered 246 signatures as of Monday morning.
“We need your help,” petition organizer Michelle Peters wrote. “We are deeply disturbed that the Cherokee County School Board voted on rezoning our kids without informing parents that this was up for a vote.
This is a major decision affecting many families. Parents should have been informed that they were discussing this at the last school board meeting, and they certainly should have known it was getting voted on!”
The actions, approved on a 3-2 vote for the Hiwassee Dam/Ranger reconfiguration and a 4-1 vote to move Martins Creek’s middle-schoolers to Murphy, took place under an agenda item titled “facilities” under old business. School district staff submitted a study crunching the numbers to the school board on Jan. 18 following a board request to conduct the study in December.
The change.org petition contests the legality of the school board voting on school zoning changes without advance public notice. State law requires that the public have access to school board agendas the same time board members receive it, and that school board members should receive the proposed agenda four days before the meeting.
At the meeting, by a majority vote, the board may add an item that is not on the proposed agenda before the agenda is adopted. After the agenda has been adopted, a two-thirds vote is required to add an item to the agenda. Any new policy or budgetary items presented as an addendum to the published agenda are not subject to action at the same meeting.
“The only thing listed for the board members was the word ‘facility,’ ” according to the petition narrative. It contests the legality of the vote, since it was under an agenda item for “facilities” and makes no mention about rezoning children.
School board meetings are held without a lawyer present, leaving the board without legal guidance beyond what advice it receives from Superintendent Keevin Woody and other non-legal staff.
“Every child thrives with a consistent foundation for their growth and development, and we don’t feel that the best interests of children or parents are being prioritized right now,” according to the petition. “We urge you all – fellow citizens, parents and educators – to unite in this fight against this rezoning until all those affected can have their voices heard. Let us work together toward creating an environment where every child can thrive.”
The petition urges local government officials to review these practices thoroughly and take necessary actions immediately for the best interest of Cherokee County’s children.
Darrien Howard, a Southfield, Mich., resident who signed the online petition, said, “Parents should be involved in the decisions that are being made for their children’s education. Secretly voting on this, without getting parents involved, is shameful. A solid foundation for education is provided by having a stable environment to learn in.
“Stop messing with our kids’ education, and keep our kids in the schools that they have been in.”
Tyler Lusardi-Williams of Murphy said, “Public officials, from the highest to the lowest levels, need to be held responsible. This is not the first time Cherokee Country has left parents in the dark. I question if the board is getting something in return to push things through, or if it is just an overreach of authority.”
Woody and board Chair Shannon Raper, the only two school officials authorized by the school system to speak with the press about educational matters, have not responded to questions from the Cherokee Scout.