Jefferson County school assignment plan continues to generate backlash

The backlash to the new busing plan for Jefferson County Public Schools is generating increasing backlash. The Courier-Journal reports that the lawsuit started by two parents of five-year olds who were going to be bused 20 to 28 miles to school each day, one way, has now been joined by a third outraged parent.

At last count late Thursday evening, the Courier’s article had nearly 150 comments, which is a huge number of reader reactions for this newspaper. Skimming through them in a mostly subjective way, it seemed like the vast majority were unfavorable to the bus plan, the school district, or both.

I also learned something else.

One of the three parents suing the district was told his child would be forced to travel about 20 miles away to the Shelby Elementary school instead of the local area school.

Now, that is really curious.

According to the “NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND, Adequate Yearly Progress, 2008 School and District Results, August 5, 2008 Release” Shelby Elementary School is in Tier 3 status under No Child Left Behind. That means as of the summer of 2008 this school has failed to make adequate yearly progress for four years in a row.

Quite important to the current discussion, parents of students already in that school had to be offered the right to transfer their students out to better performing schools.

Now, along comes the school district, and without blinking an eye, it requires the five-year old in question – to be bused IN to this school from all the way across town – and the parent can’t say NO!

I may have more to say on this once the Kentucky Department of Education fixes its Web site area for the individual NCLB school report cards.