Chester County parents voice concerns as school district approves redistricting plan

MALVERN, Pennsylvania (WPVI) -- The Great Valley School District in Chester County had its redistricting plans up for discussion on Monday night.

Families called for fairness ahead of the redistricting vote, which had the potential to send hundreds of kids to different schools.

On Monday, the board voted unanimously on option 1A.

District officials say in this choice, roughly 179 students will be impacted. The district will move students from the most to least crowded schools, with 145 students moving from KD Markley Elementary School to Charlestown Elementary.

It will also have about 34 students move from General Wayne Elementary School to KD Markley.

By doing this, officials say they will avoid dividing neighborhoods and bus travel times will be the same as before or potentially shorter.

This new plan will be put in place for the next school year in the fall of 2024.

At the school board meeting at Great Valley High School, parents took to the podium to air their concerns about the changes.

"I understand nobody wants their children to be redistricted because it can be challenging," said one parent.

The district's superintendent outlined issues with classroom space and the number of children in each room at the various schools and new housing developments in the district.

There were three options the board heard public opinion on before voting on their decision.

Some parents said they were not in favor of children moving schools, fearing longer commutes.

"Every minute spent extra, even if it's two extra minutes on the bus to get to a different school, those minutes and mileage add up and that becomes a meal at the end of the week for some people," said parent Courtney Groh.

Advocates of the change argued that Markley already has a strong ESL program for English as a second language speakers already in that school.

"At KD, there's a lot more resources for English as second language learners," said a parent during the public comments section of the meeting.

The Great Valley School District sent Action News the following statement on the issue:

"The Great Valley School District is committed to helping our students and their families transition to their new elementary schools in a way that allows them to feel welcome and comfortable. We recognize that a child's elementary school is an important place and that special bonds are often formed with teachers and peers. Now that the decision about boundary realignment is made, we will begin the important work of planning for these transitions. We are especially focused on supporting our non-English-speaking families so that information and activities are accessible and relevant. As always, we want all our students to always feel like school - no matter the building - is a welcoming place where they feel like they belong. We look forward to the important work ahead of us."