Parents protest North Fulton redistricting plans for schools

A group of parents is protesting proposed redistricting plans in north Fulton County they say would force their children to attend school outside their neighborhood.

Thirty or so parents are expected to attend a meeting Thursday evening at Esther Jackson Elementary to tell Fulton County school leaders they want their children to continue attending Northwood Elementary.

Many of the parents protesting reside in Spring Ridge subdivision off Old Alabama Road, and say their children can walk now to Northwood Elementary but wouldn’t be able to if they were redistricted to attend Hillside Elementary. Parents say their commutes would increase significantly as a result.

Northwood is overcrowded, and Fulton school leaders are proposing to add those students to nearby Hillside, which is under capacity.

“It’s our neighborhood school,” said Julie Price, who has a child attending Northwood. “It’s disconnecting us from everything we’ve built. We just want to be treated fairly.”

Each time a redistricting effort is under way, the school system holds a series of meetings to gather input on redistricting proposals. The Fulton County Board of Education is scheduled to vote on the new attendance zones in February 2016. Officials are also taking online comments here.