Parents of 12 rising pre-kindergartners who live outside the Normal Park school zone are petitioning the local school board to hear their concerns over no longer being guaranteed a spot in the school’s 2011 kindergarten class.
Although the parents already have paid a $300 deposit for their children to attend pre-k at Normal Park in the fall, a recent school board vote denies them automatic entry into kindergarten the following year.
Their argument is that, in the same motion, the board voted to “keep their promise” and allow 38 residents of Bell and Spears avenues to attend Normal Park next year, so they should do the same with the 12 pre-k students.
“You made a promise, you took our money, and now you’re going back on it,” said parent Courtney Altfillisch. “And there’s room for everybody.”
At the March school board meeting, members voted to exclude Bell and Spears avenues from the Normal Park zone, with the exception of 38 families who specifically expressed interest in their children attending the school.