COLUMBUS, Ohio — Parents, faculty, staff, and other advocates once again filled the Columbus City Schools Board meeting Tuesday night to continue making their voices heard about the upcoming decision on school closures, which will ultimately be determined by the board.
"If our school closes, where are our students gonna go?" Tiffany Fultz, a librarian at Lindbergh Elementary, said.
Lindbergh Elementary School families are continuing to advocate for themselves in the hopes of preventing the school from being shut down. Many other families across the district are in the same boat, attending every meeting to show support for their school on the chopping block.
Some said they made major decisions based on the schools they planned on sending their kids to.
"Our family just bought a house in the community so that our children could continue to go there,” Rebecca Wells, a Lindbergh Elementary parent, said.
Many families are now considering what might come next if their school closes, but staying with the district may not be part of that plan.
"We do have several parents that have already stated that if Lindbergh closes that they will find other options for their children, they will not stay with Columbus City Schools,” Fultz said.
But it’s a waiting game for these families until the final recommendations are made, and the school board decides.
Izetta Thomas, the lead organizer for the Columbus Education Justice Coalition, said they’re curious how transparent the final decision-making process will be, considering how fast-paced the community feedback process has been. Many of the families argued the meeting times for community feedback were scheduled during traditional workday hours, making it difficult for parents to attend.
"What we have been encouraging the board to do is go knock on folks' doors, meet them where they are instead of always having folks come to you. That is not how you lead with the community first,” Thomas said.
The CCS task force is expected to make its final recommendations to the board at its meeting next Tuesday.