BEDFORD CO., Va. – Parents in Bedford County are fighting back against the planned closure of Stewartsville Elementary School, and they’re taking their case to court.
Joy Powers, a Bedford County parent and congressional candidate, has filed a lawsuit to block the closure, alleging the school board violated state law by failing to publish the required seven-day newspaper notice before a public hearing.
Parents blindsided by rushed decision
Powers says the community was given little time to respond before the board made its decision.
“The public was shocked that the seven days that we had with no notice, just a casual mention at the end of the school board meeting to decide the fate of hundreds of students,” Powers said.
Fellow parent Alicia Botts echoed that frustration.
“This was very, very rushed and we didn’t have enough notice as a community to gather information for a lot of people to attend these meetings,” Botts said.
Plan introduced, voted on in same meeting
According to the lawsuit, the closure plan was introduced, a public hearing was held, and the board voted to close Stewartsville Elementary — all during the same meeting on March 12.
Powers raised additional concerns about what the closure would mean for students.
“They were going to move fifth graders to the middle schools and eighth graders to the high schools. Obviously, parents had big concerns about that,” she said.
Parent Amanda Bryan questioned whether the closure was even necessary.
“They’ve taken a non-existent budget crisis, something that is not actually a problem, and they have created an educational crisis in response to it,” Bryan said.
Board yet to respond
Multiple attempts to reach members of the Bedford County School Board for comment were unsuccessful. No members responded.
The lawsuit is moving forward and is expected to go before a judge in Bedford County.