Dozens of parents, teachers and residents urged the Bullitt County Board of Education on short notice to delay or reconsider a district realignment plan that includes closing Nichols Elementary, saying the proposal was developed without sufficient community input and would divide neighborhoods and increase risky bus travel.

The concern centered on a recommendation from district staff to reassign Nichols students to Roby Elementary as part of a wider boundary realignment intended to balance building capacity across the district. Superintendent Doctor Bacon said the plan was grounded in enrollment and facility data and framed as a way to expand opportunities while stewarding public funds.

The parents and teachers who spoke described Nichols as a “family” school with small class sizes, services for students with disabilities and community functions such as a voting site.

"Before any vote is taken on the closure of Nichols Elementary, I respectfully ask the board to pause and fully consider the unanswered questions and overlooked opportunities," said Shelby Hutchinson, a Nichols alumna and parent. "Please delay this vote until these critical questions can be accurately answered for the sake of our students, our families, and our future."

Several speakers emphasized transportation and safety concerns tied to proposed new bus routes. Ryan DeLong, who said he lives on Millbrook Circle and is a combat veteran, told the board the plan would split his neighborhood and send children on longer, less safe commutes. "So I don't know. I just I just think it's wrong," DeLong said, arguing the board had presented only one option rather than multiple scenarios for public review.

Teachers and staff also urged the board to preserve the school. Lauren Thornsberry, a Nichols kindergarten teacher, cited recent educational research and her classroom experience in arguing that small schools provide more stability for young learners. "The small class sizes at Nichols have allowed my son to not only be a good student, but to thrive," said Ian Curtis, a parent of a child on the autism spectrum.

Several speakers disputed the district's characterization of Nichols as isolated. Melissa Claire Mooney said the school "is more than a school. It's a place for academics, athletics, drama, political action and voting." Other commenters noted Nichols hosts extracurriculars including archery, STEM projects and a planned inclusive playground that has a $5,000 donation on hold.

Doctor Bacon told the board and public that declines in enrollment and the distribution of capacity across the district drove the recommendation. He said Nichols' building is sized for 226 students and currently houses 81 — about 35 percent capacity — after a steady decline over the last decade from 179 students in the 2015–16 school year. "There are no signs of that trend reversing," Bacon said, adding that some schools are in a "red" status at or above capacity while others have significant room.

Bacon also described the proposed grandfathering provision: families who elect to grandfather their children into the current feeder pattern would have that feeder pattern designated as the student's home school until the family moves or chooses otherwise; a yearly transfer form would be required but the district will not perform annual reviews of grades, attendance or behavior for those grandfathered approvals.

Speakers pressing for delay raised additional questions about the district's public outreach and requested to see the financial data underlying the recommendation. "If Nichols is being cut due to budget concerns, then we need to see the whole financial picture and that needs to be made public to all of us," Hutchinson said.

Supporters of the proposal urged the board to act to balance enrollment and conserve resources. Chris Henning said the plan addresses under‑used buildings and would allow the district to redirect funds to classrooms and programs. Henning praised the grandfather clause and said some reuse options exist for the Nichols building, including community programs.

The record shows sustained public engagement: more than twenty registered speakers took the podium, including parents, former students, current Nichols teachers and former and current county officials. The superintendent concluded his report by reiterating that the plan seeks a more equitable distribution of programs, a more efficient use of facilities and responses to projected housing growth across the county.

The transcript of the meeting shows the board took up the district realignment proposal as new business later in the session; the available excerpt does not include a vote tally for the realignment motion. The public comment period and superintendent's detailed presentation, however, made clear the proposal's immediate local political salience and the depth of opposition among Nichols families.

Looking ahead, speakers urged the board to pause the vote and convene broader community engagement or an independent advisory group to explore alternatives; some offered to participate. The superintendent pledged the district will continue to support the Nichols community "no matter how this vote goes today" and said the building would be used as a community resource if it is closed.

The board moved on to other items after the superintendent's report; a formal vote on the realignment proposal is recorded in the meeting minutes outside the available transcript (tally not specified in the provided transcript).