By Mike Schnitzel
The board had formed an attendance areas committee last December. The committee is composed of three members of the board and PTA members and was charged with examining the current attendance zone policy and determining if any changes were necessary based upon criteria including school enrollments, projected enrollments and building capacities.
Over the course of five committee meetings, the committee offered the boards three recommendations:
n All students attending James A. Dever Elementary School in District 13 would attend North High School
n All students from District 24 elementary schools would a attend South High School.
n No change in board policy related to attendance zones.
In choosing to make no changes, the board felt that making no change to the current attendance zone policy was the best course of action.
District 24 parent and committee member Marijo Sensale was the only audience member to speak after the decision, and she voiced her displeasure with the board.
"This committee was all fluff," Sensale said. "I knew from the start that nothing would be changed."
Sensale was among a contingent of District 24 parents who felt that zoning all of the district's students for South High School would offer them a smooth transition.
Policy 5110, which established the current school zone attendance areas, was first established by the board in 1967. It helped to establish a policy by which waiver requests, which allow students to attend a high school other than the one they are zoned for, are granted once a school is near functional capacity, the maximum number of students a school can accommodate while providing each of them an equal opportunity education.
Anne Marie Allocca contributed to this story. Comments about this story? Mschnitzel@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 265.
