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New elementary school worries some West End parents

Posted at 2:30 PM, Oct 04, 2012
and last updated 2012-10-04 18:26:12-04

HENRICO COUNTY, Va. (WTVR) - Few things fire up parents of school-age children like the school redistricting process. Each time schools redistrict neighborhoods, there is a group of families forced to leave their school kicking and screaming.

Next fall, Henrico will open a new elementary school on Pouncey Tract Road. The county is holding a community meeting tonight to help decide which neighborhoods will feed into the new school and how that will impact other West End schools.

Henrico parent Lori Gebard wrote CBS 6 an email after learning her children may be rezoned out of Shady Grove Elementary into a different school.

"Why on earth is it believed to be a good idea to split up our school?" Gebard asked in the email. "We are a very close community.  Our children our close, our families are close.  We are the reason Shady Grove is ranked number one.  Why on earth would you believe we would let you shuffle our children out of our school?  Why would you think this is a good idea?"

According to a website set-up by the county, the following schools could be affected by the opening of the new school:

Colonial Trail Elementary

Pinchbeck Elementary

Gayton Elementary*

Ridge Elementary

Jackson Davis Elementary

Rivers Edge Elementary

Longan Elementary

Shady Grove Elementary

Nuckols Farm Elementary**

Short Pump Elementary

Springfield Park Elementary***

 

*  Involvement due to available capacity to support boundary adjustments.
**  Involvement due to planned residential development.
*** Involvement requested by the redistricting committee (9/26/12).  

Click hereto see one option up for discussion at tonight's meeting.

Click here to see a second option up for discussion.

Do you have any opinion about this latest round of redistricting talk? Share your opinion on the CBS 6 Facebook page.

Tonight's meeting is at the Deep Run High School Gym from 6:00 p.m  - 8:00 p.m.