Last chance to voice opinion over EPISD school closure plan
Tuesday night is the final community meeting for parents to express their concerns over the school closure plan in the El Paso Independent School District.
The meeting is at Beall Elementary School, located at 320 S. Piedras St., starting at 5 p.m.
In a press release, The Beall Parents Committee plans to present district officials with a statement on why closing Beall will negatively affect students.
In the district’s proposal, if Beall closes students will be transferred to Douglass Elementary, located at 101 S. Eucalyptus St.
The committee argues students at Douglass are subjected to pollution-related health risks because the campus is located near a scrap metal recycling plan and a planned Central Bus Hub.
“The district always seems to burden the poorest communities with its economic problems,” Hilda Villegas, a member of the Beall Parents Committee, said in the release. “It is the responsibility of EPISD to protect our children – and that means keeping Beall open.”
Beall and Douglass are among a list of five schools that could be closed or consolidated in the district’s “Rightsizing for the Future” plan. The other schools in questions are Alta Vista, Burleson and Schuster.
After Tuesday’s meeting, the issue heads to the school board, which is set to talk it over Jan. 22.
