Gwinnett County Public Schools is considering boundary changes that could have hundreds of Suwanee students graduating from a rival campus.
Next school year, students in the Peachtree Ridge High School cluster could be swapping Lions’ royal blue and white for Wildcats’ purple and white.
In an effort to relieve overcrowding, the Gwinnett school system's planning department is proposing boundary changes that could uproot a chunk of the student population at Peachtree Ridge High, Hull Middle and Mason Elementary and send them to Duluth schools.
"We have to relieve overcrowding,” said Greg Stanfield, the system's planning director. “[Duluth schools] are not growing as rapidly as other areas. They have had slow, level growth.”
Hull has 28 trailers and Peachtree Ridge uses nine. The district joins several others across the metro area who are announcing boundary changes, but unlike most, Gwinnett is still growing by about 1,500 students a year and is not closing campuses.
The change would mainly affect about 700 students west of Ga. 120 to Pleasant Hill Road and some currently in Duluth schools. About 120 students at Harris Elementary would move to another Duluth school so the campus could accommodate Peachtree Ridge cluster kids.
Hundreds of families who moved into the area so their young kids could eventually attend Peachtree Ridge could lose their top pick.
“No, no, no!” Brenda Arroyo, who has a daughter in kindergarten at Mason, said after learning about plans to redistrict her apartment complex. “We love Mason. I’ve gotten to know the teachers and counselors. It’s a good school with a lot of parental support. Harris may be just as good, but I’d rather stay where we are.”
The proposed boundary maps are on display in affected schools. The school system's planning department is seeking feedback through April 1 before the final plans are brought to the school board for consideration. Parents and students can weigh in with boundary committees at their schools or send communication to the district.
A public hearing on the proposed boundaries is set for 5 p.m. April 21 before the school board votes on them later that evening.
“One of the things we have seen through redistricting is that students and parents love their schools -- that is a good thing," said Sloan Roach, a district spokeswoman. "We want them to love their schools. ... Those parents, once they get into their new school, they embrace those schools and their kids are successful there. We have the same curriculum. We have a lot of great opportunities in all of our schools."
Students who are currently at Peachtree Ridge could remain there if they provide their own transportation next fall. Rising freshmen, elementary and middle school students, however, would have to switch.
Gabrielle Rogers, 18, a junior at Peachtree Ridge, hopes to stay put even if she has to get a ride. She did her research. Her father lives within the school boundaries, and her mother is in Duluth. She has her pick of the two.
"Peachtree Ridge has block schedules, so you have more opportunities to pull up your grades and graduate on time," she said. "It has the Advanced Placement classes I want. My dance teacher has four degrees. I don't want to leave."
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