Parents and teachers urge transparency on Red Clay high‑school plan, redistricting and middle school climate

Several parents and staff addressed the Red Clay board Oct. 15 with three related requests: more transparency around an upcoming attendance‑zone/redistricting process, a pause and rebuild of a proposed high‑school plan to ensure equity, and stronger social‑emotional supports at middle schools.

Jennifer Beyer, a parent of a John Dickinson Middle School student, urged the district and board to “look closely at how we can strengthen that social and emotional framework in our middle schools,” saying middle school students need consistent expectations, advisory programs and spaces where they feel heard.

Steven Fackenthal, a general music teacher at Richey Elementary and president of the Red Clay Education Association (RCEA), spoke ahead of a board vote on an attendance‑zone/redistricting committee. Fackenthal said affected staff and families should see “overt transparency in their discussions and decisions” and requested that the district seek input from people most affected by potential zone changes.

Jenny Howard, speaking as a parent, criticized the district’s new high‑school plan as being developed “for the community, but not with the community.” She told the board the planning committee was “top heavy with district administrators” and that parents and community members made up roughly a third of the group. Howard said some selective programs and resources could become further concentrated if the new plan routes certain students to innovation‑center programming, and she cited uneven application of district transportation rules and staffing inequities: “every non Title I school has its own full time talented and gifted teacher serving K to 5 students, while Title I schools share 1 teacher across multiple buildings.”

Howard asked the board to pause the high‑school plan and rebuild it with “transparency, fairness and authentic collaboration,” including a family engagement plan that gives parents, students and community members a meaningful role before final decisions are made.

Board members later approved a working group to develop the Thomas McCain Innovation Center and said they will make working‑group meetings open to the public — a procedural change some commenters had requested. The board did not take direct action on redistricting content or on the specific requests to pause the high‑school plan during the Oct. 15 meeting.

Speakers asked the board to ensure affected families and staff are given information and meaningful opportunities for input as planning continues.