Parents urge Board to reconsider redistricting that would split siblings across elementary schools

Board of Education members heard more than an hour of public comment Feb. 20 from parents asking the Board to reconsider a redistricting plan that would place some siblings at different elementary schools for the 2025–26 school year.

Meredith Rusu, a parent and vice president of several PTA committees, told the Board the proposed changes would split a “handful of families” and urged the Board to avoid a “one-size-fits-all, no-exceptions policy” for children who already have older siblings at Allen W. Roberts. “It breaks my heart to hear those younger siblings asking if they will be in the same big school as their brothers and sisters,” Rusu said.

Several other residents echoed Rusu’s request for case-by-case consideration. Christine Mellusi, who said she lives in zone B, recommended the Board focus survey outreach on zones A and D to better count currently affected families and questioned why hypothetical future enrollments should override current siblings’ placements.

Parents described practical burdens if siblings attend different schools, including scheduling conflicts for drop-off and school events, increased childcare costs and lost social continuity for young children. “Children thrive on routine and consistency,” said Melanie Katz, a parent of two students at Allen W. Roberts.

Board members did not vote on redistricting at the Feb. 20 meeting; the public comments closed at 8:49 p.m. Board members noted the district has circulated a survey and said they would continue to review feedback as part of the redistricting process.

Next steps: speakers requested clearer, faster follow-up on survey results, a year-to-year evaluation of kindergarten class sizes, and consideration of flexible zoning or exceptions so current families with older children at AWR can keep younger siblings together.