Citing infrastructure and safety issues the Coahoma County School District will close Sherard Elementary School for the 2021-22 school year, but it may reopen.
All Sherard Elementary School students and teachers will be transferred to Friars Point Elementary School while the maintenance issues are being fixed and a group of citizens attended Tuesday’s school board meeting to express their concerns over busing their children and what the closing could mean for the community and district.
“We’re looking at closing it for one year,” said Coahoma County School District superintendent Dr. Ilean Richards.
Richards said Friars Point Elementary School has enough space for all Sherard Elementary School students and teachers. She said the student/teacher ratio would not change and, more importantly, “nobody is losing a job.”
At one time Sherard was the district’s highest performing elementary school and a symbol of pride for the community.
Richards said this has been a long time coming.
“We postponed it,” Richards said. “We have lots of infrastructure issues out at Sherard that make it dangerous for children to be there. The boiling system is completely shot. The septic tank has to be removed and a new one will be installed. That’s the whole sewage system.
“The primary reason is for the safety and welfare of children,” she added. “That school needs a lot of renovation and we cannot make those renovations with the students there.”
After citizens learned about Sherard closing for one year, they came to Tuesday’s board meeting to discuss the issue. However, the matter was not placed on the agenda and the board made discussion take place following the meeting.
The citizens approached board attorney Nathaniel Armistad with questions.
Armistad told them to talk with Richards.
“All of the sudden we get a letter saying the school is going to close and our children are going to be bused,” said CCSD parent Richey Lee to Richards.
After the citizens approached Richards, Armistad asked them to pick a representative, get on the agenda and come back before the board.
“You all get together,” said Armistad. “Select somebody as a representative if you want to have a conversation. Initially, when somebody requests a time to meet with Dr. Richards, she will determine if it’s a matter that needs to come to the board. What you can do is, since these are public board meetings, you request to be placed on the agenda and you fill out a request form. The reason you fill out that form is for Dr. Richards – and she’ll ask me if necessary to determine if we need to discuss those concerns in executive session or open session.
“But that item is not on the agenda tonight and the only thing that the board present and superintendent can address are items that are on the agenda.”
State law allows most board to set the agenda prior to any meeting and add to or take off any item the board so chooses.
Lee explained he just learned Sherard would be closed for the 2021-22 school year.
“I called yesterday,” Lee said. “I got the letter yesterday. I didn’t know anything about this until yesterday.”
Lee said he did not have time to get on the agenda.
Other individuals also said they just learned about Sherard temporarily closing.
“To be on the agenda, it has to be seven days in advance,” Armistad said. “Let me tell you why. Because the board has to have the board packet 72 hours prior to the board meeting.”
“I understand protocol 100 percent,” Lee replied. “I’m not going against that, but we found this out the day before yesterday when we didn’t have time to get on the agenda.”
Lee said he called the CCSD Monday and was told he could not be on the meeting agenda, but he could come to discuss the matter.
Armistad suggested the citizens designate a representative rather than a group to meet with Richards.
Lee volunteered to be the representative.
“I don’t mind meeting with a representative or representatives to explain why that decision was made,” Richards said.
Richards attempted to clarify that the parents were notified several days ago.
“The letter was not sent out the day before yesterday,” Richards said. “The letter has been out. I’m not saying he didn’t get his until the day before yesterday, but the letter has been out.”
It is not known when the letters were postmarked.
“All we need is an explanation because I don’t want my kids going to Friars Point,” Lee replied.
Armistad said, out of an abundance of caution, citizens should contact the CCSD 10 days prior to a meeting to be placed on the agenda.
“You’ll have time to meet with her before the next meeting as long as it’s placed on the agenda seven days before the meeting,” said Armistad to Lee.
In other business:
The board discussed litigation regarding Coahoma Early College High School’s lawsuit against the Mississippi Department of Education.
The MDE in an April 15 letter to Dr. Valmadge Towner, superintendent of CECHS said funding will now move from the state through local school districts and CECHS must obtain a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) from those districts, specifically Clarksdale Municipal School District and Coahoma County School District, both releasing students to CECHS and then sending the dollars from the state to CECHS.
The CCSD has not signed the MOU and the matter is in Hinds County Chancery Court.
“We are still discussing Coahoma Early College,” Richards said.
“We’re trying to see which way we are going.”
Richards said she wants to work with CECHS to keep the program going, but no official decision has been made.
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