The dismissal bell rang for the last time Thursday at Spalding Drive Elementary School in Sandy Springs and Parklane Elementary in East Point.
The Fulton County school board Board of Education voted in February to close the schools, meaning hundreds of students will attend other schools next year. Some families have opted to stay in Fulton. Some families have opted to go to the school they’re now zoned for. Others will attend charter or private schools. Others have moved.
In September, the school board surprised families when it announced it would consider closing the schools. Parents quickly organized. They held community meetings and packed school board meetings, urging officials to keep the schools open for at least another few years. They were joined by elected officials, including both cities’ mayors, several city council members and state lawmakers.
The board voted to close both schools, citing the high cost of operating the aging buildings.
Saying ‘So Long’ to Spalding
Emily Bell, whose three children attended Spalding Drive, was stunned by board’s decision.
“I honestly didn’t think they were going to close the school,” she said. “I thought that we were going to win the fight to save it, so not knowing until the end of February … didn’t give us — or other families — very much time at all to figure out what the new plan would be.”
Credit: contributed by Emily Bell
Credit: contributed by Emily Bell
It was too late for Bell to apply for private or charter schools. The family didn’t want to move. Her oldest child will attend middle school next year. Bell and her husband decided their younger two children will go to Woodland Elementary, the Fulton County school they’ve been newly zoned to attend.
“Woodland has 800 children and Spalding has 350, so it’s more than double what we’re accustomed to, so I’m just nervous about being so much bigger,” Bell said.
Their friends won’t necessarily join them at Woodland. Some have been rezoned for Heards Ferry Elementary; others have opted for private school.
Another group of Spalding Drive parents are trying to start a charter school. Raymond Grote, one of the group’s organizers, said they offered the district $10 million to buy the school building.
Credit: Contributed
Credit: Contributed
Fulton officials acknowledged the offer and said it was reviewed and shared with the school board.
“Ultimately, it was determined that converting the facility into a centralized home for the Fulton County Teaching Museum and Fulton County Schools Archives would best support instructional and operational priorities across the district,” a Fulton spokesperson said.
Grote estimates the charter school wouldn’t open until fall 2027. So in the meantime, his children will attend an existing charter school, Fulton Academy of Arts and Sciences in Roswell.
“They’re coming out of the system effectively,” he said.
So are Kim Parkman’s two children, who will attend private school next year.
Credit: Jenni Girtman
Credit: Jenni Girtman
“I’ve always been a very staunch public school supporter, so when I toured private schools, I had a really bad attitude,” Parkman said.
But then she found a school that reminded her of Spalding Drive, where her kids thrived.
Parkman’s oldest son was in kindergarten during the COVID-19 pandemic. She said the teachers at Spalding Drive managed to make remote learning fun for the kids.
She feels for the staff, who found out about the possibility of closure with everyone else.
“They were never given a voice, and they’re the ones at the crux of this whole issue,” she said. “They’re the ones educating our students.”
Parting with Parklane
Families in East Point were also blindsided when they learned Parklane could close. Gabi Mooney, a member of the superintendent’s advisory council, didn’t see it coming.
“(The council) felt very betrayed, because we were told if (closure) was even a discussion, it would not happen until this August(of 2025),” she said.
Her 7-year-old son, Max, attended Parklane since pre-kindergarten. At the time, he presented as gender non-conforming and used they/them pronouns. Mooney was worried about how Max would be received in public school.
“But it was incredible,” she said. “The (Parklane) teachers were so welcoming.”
Credit: contributed
Credit: contributed
When Max was recently diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, Mooney said his teachers had him take small breaks throughout the day to help him stay focused in class.
“That’s the thing that’s so beautiful about a small community school where everyone is invested in it,” she said. “(Staff) don’t want to say, ‘You all have to act a certain way.’ No, they’re like, ‘What do you need? How can we support you?’”
Despite her disappointment, Max will attend school in Fulton County next year.
“My values and our values as a family are to invest in our public education system, and so we will stay, and if it is a horrible situation for Max or it’s really not working for him, we’ll reassess and we’ll figure out what might be best for him,” she said.
Christy Taylor is also sticking with Fulton, although she’s disheartened.
“(Parklane is) a little family, so it’s very, very bittersweet,” she said.
Credit: contributed
Credit: contributed
Taylor fought hard to keep Parklane open. She was both a parent and an employee of the school, working as the parent liaison. The small environment was helpful for her daughter, who is on the autism spectrum and is now in middle school, she said. She wanted her son, James, who will be a fifth grader, to be able to finish his elementary school career at Parklane.
“I still really believe in public school, especially as a parent of a neurodivergent child,” Taylor said.
She’s disappointed the school is closing and is sad that Parklane families will be split between different schools next year. Still, she’s optimistic.
“My son has one year left (in elementary school), and I want to … support my neighbors and my community,” she said. “It’s what I love to do.”
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