County school board to review plan to move middle schoolers to high schools
NC GAZETTE / WBRT RADIO
STAFF REPORT
Tuesday, April 20, 2021 — The Nelson County Board of Education will meet this evening to discuss a plan that will transform the districts two high schools into “community campuses” that will shift many of the county’s middle schoolers to the high schools.
The plan will expand both high schools to include grades 6-12.
Tonight’s meeting is set to begin at 5:30 at Cox’s Creek Elementary School.
According to slides provided to the Gazette, the plan will allow the district to establish two major centers of academic and career preparation to be “better able to unite professionals at a common place.”
According to the slide, the two 6-12 campuses will “provide world-class learning facilities for our students.”
According to the plan, middle school students who live west of US31E would attend Thomas Nelson, while those east would attend Nelson County High School.
Thomas Nelson would end up with approximately 1,200 students, and Nelson County would have approximately 1,300 students.
The board has scheduled a series of public community discussions at each district school regarding the plan starting next week.
REACTIONS. Social media has been on fire since Monday evening as word of the changes spread. The Nelson County Gazette fielded several anonymous phone calls through the day on Monday from individuals who were aware of the plan and were concerned parents weren’t being told about the changes.
Reaction from parents run the full range of emotions, from shock and disbelief to those who say they are withholding judgment until they hear complete details.
Parents’ main concern is having middle school students mixed with high school students, and many parents believe it is inappropriate to have them together. Others with more knowledge of the plan say middle school students won’t be mixed or combined with high schoolers.
DISTRICT RESPONSE. Tuesday morning, the district sent an email to parents inviting them to visit a website, NCCommunityCampus.com, to find out more about the “Future Centered Facility” vision for the district schools.
The website includes a video that addresses the future vision of the schools, along with a digital booklet about the proposed changes.
According to the timeline on that website, the two expanded community campuses at Thomas Nelson and NCHS will open in the Fall of 2023.
COMMUNITY INPUT. The NCCommunityCampus website has a list of upcoming meetings at each of the district’s schools where parents and stakeholder can offer their input and suggestions.
For more information, visit www.NCCommunityCampus.com.
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