APS Responds To Summerhill

In recent days, the Summerhill community has been abuzz with the Atlanta Public Schools' decision to move the neighborhood from Parkside Elementary School's attendance zone to that of D.H. Stanton in Peoplestown.

The attendance zones are still tentative and the APS Board of Education, which voted last week to close seven schools, must approve the most recent maps, district spokesman Keith Bromery told East Atlanta Patch.

Bromery e-mailed a statement explaining the district's reasoning behind rezoning Summerhill to D.H Stanton, even though it wants to remain at Parkside:

"The Board will decide individual school zoning changes in the near future. No changes are anticipated at this point regarding the proposed zoning changes associated with the redistricting initiative. The Board has the authority to make changes to the administration’s school rezoning proposals.

The Summerhill neighborhood is immediately adjacent to D.H. Stanton Elementary School, as is the Peoplestown neighborhood which is already zoned to Stanton. For purposes of neighborhood integrity and to allow for the shortest travel distances for students living in these neighborhoods to get to and from school, D.H. Stanton Elementary School is the obvious choice based on its proximity to these neighborhoods. Keep in mind that the purpose of the redistricting initiative is to increase enrollments in the schools that remain open after the closures in order for those schools to be eligible for additional resources that are intended to escalate student achievement."