BROKEN ARROW, Okla. — Broken Arrow Public Schools is working on the redistricting of its middle schools, which could impact nearly 900 students.
The district is working to approve new 2025/26 school year boundaries. That means some students in one middle school this year may be at the new school starting next year.
This is causing a lot of concern among parents in the district.
"She gets to this new school and makes friendships and a whole new friend group, and then that’s going to be torn apart next year," said Jonathan McCullough, the parent of a sixth grader.
He said his daughter just switched to middle school but now falls in a new boundary, possibly forcing her to move schools.
"Now in this redistricting, you’re going to multiple schools in a short period of time," said McCullough.
Numerous parents told the district they're concerned about the student's mental health. One parent at the meeting noted this is a transitional time in their lives, and adding to that could be harmful.
Staff hosting the meeting is trying to ease those concerns, saying counseling staff is available at all schools.
Mccullough echoes those worries of his daughters going through multiple transitions, each time having formed new relationships.
2 News took his concerns to Assistant Superintendent of Information and Technology Ashley Bowser.
"So one of the things that was really important for us was to keep neighborhoods together. Ans a lot of times kids have friends in their neighborhoods," said Bowser.
He said he's sensitive to the fact that the new boundaries may separate some students.
The districts are redoing their boundaries due to the new eighth-grade center currently under construction. It’s also an effort to reduce class sizes.
In the meeting, district staff said they want class sizes to be under thirty and that redistricting is necessary.
That's because Broken Arrow's continuous growth. The map presented outlines new developments, including housing, in the district.
Miriam Flanagan a grandparent and former BAPS substitute teacher said she's watched the area grow from a farm town to what it is today.
Flanagan said with the growth it's important to keep a sense of normalcy for middle schoolers.
"I worked a lot in middle schools, and I want to tell you it’s rough. And those kids need as much help as they can get to feel like there’s a home place," said Flanagan.
She said she's worried students won’t get a second home feeling that schools are supposed to provide.
The redistricting won’t grandfather or allow transfers for students who are in a proposed boundary.
"The great thing we have here in Broken Arrow is everybody loves their middle school. You know they love their school sites and we love that and so that makes change really hard," said Bowser.
The district said it will consider the feedback from the community meeting when looking at changing the boundaries.
Some still want staff to take more feedback from the community before moving forward.
"They need to come back and to the people who actually live here and find out how they feel about these issues and that's what you’re doing and I appreciate that," said
Flanagan.
Moving forward, if the district changes the boundary lines, they will present the new proposal to the board.
But if the lines stay the same it will go to a vote on at the BAPS school board meeting on Nov. 11.
See if your student may have to move schools here.
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