Atlanta Public Schools parents demand answers as district moves forward with closing 16 schools

Atlanta Public Schools is engaging parents and community members about its plans to consolidate schools and reassign students as part of APS Forward 2040. However, some people say those efforts are not enough.

The district still plans to close 16 schools as part of the broader consolidation plan. At a community meeting Tuesday at Jean Childs Young Middle School, officials told parents that the district may eventually reopen Peyton Forest Elementary, one of the schools scheduled to close at the end of this school year.

People at the meeting said they feel they are being left in the dark about the district's plans and are dissatisfied with its answers to their questions.

"How are you going to deal with the fact that students may not be able to get to these new schools?" APS parent Natasha Malmin asked. "How are you going to deal with the fact that how you initially engaged parents during the idea of school closures was not very effective, and yet you're still continuing the same path when you're thinking about rezoning these schools?"

Some residents said the district's efforts have come too little, too late.

"We have lost parents, people have moved their children more to charter schools, some have left the area altogether," said Tameika Jordan of the Harland Terrace Community Club.

"For some of these students, one of the schools will be over five miles away from their residence," said Maria Mickens of the Harland Terrace community. "They can't walk there. They won't all get on the bus. If they miss the bus, they aren't going to go to school most likely."

Community members said the school district needs to be more creative and aggressive in reaching parents and residents.

"I think when we're talking about parents and families, we have to be mindful of the diversity of our parents and families in terms of their lifestyles, in terms of their preferred method of communication, and our district has to make sure that they are meeting those differing methods of communication," said Lisa French of the Chalet-Peyton Woods Association.

Another APS parent, Taylor Iyoho, said district officials should contact families directly.

"You can't tell me that APS can't knock on those doors to say, 'Hey, here's what's going on. Here's what next year's going to look like. But you do have a couple of options. We want to know what option works best for your community,' and that's just not happening."

The district said it plans to turn Peyton Forest Elementary into a community hub offering resources and educational opportunities in the area. It also said it will expand bus routes for students who will have longer commutes and improve communication with people and families affected by APS Forward 2040.

The next community meetings are scheduled for Thursday at 6:30 p.m.