Imagine a student has been attending the same school for years. They’ve become accustomed to the classrooms, administrators and teachers.
Then, they’re told that after summer break they will be going to a new school.
When August comes, they’re filled with anxiety all over again, as though it’s the first day of kindergarten because they know they’ve got to learn the layout of the campus and the staff and, worst of all, find new friends.
Sometimes this happens because the adults in the family have found a better job, or it could be because some other life event has caused the family to change their address.
But right now this scenario could occur because one school in the Picayune School District has too many students, creating a situation where the administration has to find a solution, which may involve shifting students around to other schools.
Even though it’s not set in stone at this point, the School Board is considering that option. Understandably they tabled the matter to review the maps drawn up by the administration to make an informed decision.
This matter puts the Board in a difficult situation.
Do they approve the suggested change and put hundreds of students in a different school, or leave things the way they are and maintain a difficult situation for the staff and supervisors at the currently overcrowded school?
More than likely the Board will move forward with the change due to the problem with overcrowding.
The thing is, children are quite resilient. They can survive more than being moved to a new school.
Especially since some of their friends and teachers may actually be moved with them.
Alternately, if the Board opts to leave things as they are, it would probably be more costly to find space to teach the children.