METAIRIE, La. — One week from today, Jefferson Parish School Board will vote on what the next school year will look like for thousands of students.
They're deciding whether or not to adopt the recommendations of a third-party consultant to close seven schools and relocate others.
Dozens of students at Grace King High School walked out of class Wednesday morning in protest of the proposed changes.
Jordan Montegut is a senior at Grace King and said she wants the school to live on after her graduation.
"I've had teachers and people here who have changed my life and I don't want to say goodbye to that," Montegut said.
Grace King is one of seven schools that would close if the school board voted in favor of the recommendations. Grace King students would be forced to attend either Bonnabel or Riverdale High School.
“This high school drama is very much real. I don’t know what they think is going to happen whenever our Grace King kids go to Bonnabel and Riverdale. Those kids are not going to be the most welcoming because essentially we’re being forced out of our home and we’re invading theirs," Student Shirley Castillo said.
JP Schools said enrollment has plummeted across the district, and they're down roughly 140 teachers, according to a school board member.
The district hopes the move makes operations more efficient.
“We should be looking into the why are teachers not here? Where are they? What happened? And get to the root of that and find a proper solution instead of doubling sizes," Castillo said.
Meanwhile, on the West Bank, families are taking action.
Parents at Mildred Harris Elementary are planning to meet Thursday night at 6 at the Bridge City Volunteer Fire Department to discuss the likelihood of the school closing.
A teacher at Mildred Harris shared her concerns with Eyewitness News. She said teachers were vaguely informed of the plan, but they were not given specifics until the announcement at Monday's school board meeting.
“We absolutely did not think we were going to be shut down," the teacher said. “We are devastated. We feel like our kids are not being considered, and they’re going to come out on the losing end of this. This is a small community.”
The teacher is concerned about the families being forced to send their students to either Cherbonnier or Emmett Gilbert Elementary schools.
“They’re going to have to buy new uniforms. They’re going to be several miles down the road. Of course, they’ll be bused there but children get sick and they’re going to call home and some of these people don’t have the means to go pick their child up," the teacher said.
She said students just overcame the uncertainty of COVID and Hurricane Ida, and now this is another punch.
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