Parents Fight for Jefferson's 6th Grade

A dozen parents of fourth-grade students at attended Tuesday night's Board of Education meeting to convince board members not to eliminate the school's sixth-grade class after the 2011-2012 school year.

"We're here to not go down without a fight," said Deborah Dicochea, the mother of a seventh-grade student at and a fourth-grade student at Jefferson Elementary.

Jefferson is the only elementary school in the that still has a sixth grade class, and only 13 students enrolled in the program for the 2010-2011 school year. The grade level was eliminated at , and elementary schools in prior years.

In a Power Point presentation, Dicochea and another mother extolled the benefits of keeping Jefferson's sixth grade.

The presentation cited several studies as well as STAR test results.

"Our gut feeling as parents [that kids are better off at a K-6 elementary] is confirmed by research, as well," Dicochea said.

Some parents expressed concern about what their children would experience in middle school.

"I don't want [my son] around seventh and eighth graders," said Justina Tuck, who also said she was afraid that her son would be introduced to a sex and drug culture at Parras Middle School. "I want to keep my son naive for a year longer."

One father of a current fourth-grade student, , said Jefferson was "a neighborhood school" where children could walk to school.

"I can't give you any tangible reasons why I believe a neighborhood school is important," he said, noting that he couldn't articulate why such a school is good for students.

Another commenter on the issue asked, "Is [the decision] best for the kids, or are we doing it based on an agenda?"

After the meeting, Catriona Murphy-Kelly, the mother of a Jefferson student, said the issue "is about our children," academics and Jefferson's "warm and fuzzy environment," she said.

The Board of Education, at the end of the discussion, agreed to place the issue on the agenda for the June 14 meeting. The Board also directed district officials to prepare a presentation on the benefits of moving Jefferson's sixth grade to Parras.