Grade Reorganization Approved

Grafton School Committee members voted unanimously tonight to accept a reorganization plan presented at a previous meeting by Superintendent of Schools Jay Cummings.

The new school organization will be as follows:

Two schools for pre-K, kindergarten and grade one students at the current and

Grades 2-6 in two schools, the current and

Grades 7 and 8 at the current Grafton High School.

Grades 9-12 at the new

These changes will take effect in September 2012.

This changes the current plan, which would put students in grades 2, 3 and 4 in one building and grades 5 and 6 in another.

Cummings said his plan reduces the number of transitions that students have to undergo. He pointed out that numerous studies have shown that transitions are stressful to students and present educational and personal challenges for youngsters.

School Committee members supported the plan and thanked Cummings for making an organizational plan based on student needs rather than building availability or other factors.

Parents and other community members who spoke at the meeting supported the plan but concerns were raised about the youngsters who will make a change this year as a result of this plan.

Cummings said he was very sensitive to those concerns and that parents would play a crucial role in the transition and on a potential transition committee.

Committee chairman Kathleen Halloran noted that multiple changes in the town's schools have been made through the years and that this plan will likely be the last organizational change in many years.

If parents approach the change in a positive manner, they will set an important tone for their children to emulate, she said.

For more information on people’s reactions and concerns, see tomorrow’s Grafton Patch.