Monday, parents were lined up as early as 6 a.m. outside of Roseland Park Elementary in Picayune in order to secure their child a spot for the upcoming school year.
According to literature mailed to parents, “once student numbers reach maximum capacity in a grade level, student overages must be transferred to an elementary school in the district that can accommodate additional students.”
This information is what parents said brought them to the school hours before registration began at 11 a.m. Monday.
Becca Dorn, who was there to register her fifth and sixth graders, said this was her third year registering her children in the district. She arrived at the school at about 6:50 a.m.
“This is where my children attended school last year and she has friends here. We also live in this zone,” Dorn said. “When I’ve asked, all I’ve been told is that overflow children are bussed to another school. There’s got to be a better solution. I love my district and if it’s a problem with district lines, then redraw them. If we live in the district, we shouldn’t have to worry about being bumped.”
Jennifer Burks said she was there early to register her fourth grader due to the possibility of overflow.
“Six weeks ago, they were in school,” Burks said, “so what’s changed since then? I love it here and I also graduated from Picayune Memorial High School.”
Picayune School District Assistant Superintendent Brent Harrell said their district does not have grade level attendance centers, which is a campus for students in kindergarten through second grade.
Each elementary campus accommodates grades kindergarten through sixth, he said.
Harrell said, for example, there could only be 90 students in the sixth grade. There are only three teachers, who can have 30 students per class and when numbers reach the limit, the school district must transfer the students to another school that has space.
It is the district’s responsibility to provide transportation for students who must be transferred, Harrell said.
There are about three instances that could contribute to a potential overflow, Harrell said. The first is that there is no way to predict how many kindergartners will register each year. Secondly, the district has no way of knowing who has moved in or out of the district during the summer. Thirdly, there is no way to know who may have moved to a different zone.
Harrell said there are two possible solutions to overflow. The first would be to add additional teachers, which is not economically feasible at this time. The second solution would be to install a grade level attendance center, which the district has no plans to do, he said.
As of Tuesday afternoon, Harrell said the enrollment count from the district’s elementary schools had not reached capacity.
Harrell said parents with questions are always welcome to call the district’s office at 601-798-3230.