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MATTHEWS, NC – Students and parents are gearing up to hit the streets of Union County.
Several protests are planned for Saturday in the fight against school redistricting. Parents and students say they’ll do whatever it takes to stop redistricting.
“We’ll get out there on the weekends, we’ll do whatever we need to do to show that support. We’ll rally, we’ll make posters,” said Jean Ayers, a Matthews resident.
The kids are all in too. Many say the fight is just as much theirs, as it is their parents’.
“It’s important we all come out. I mean, most people think ‘well they’re just kids; they don’t mean anything,’ but when you really think about it, we’re most affected by this,” said Alyssa Biancardi, a student at Weddington Middle School.
This group is one of many making posters to use on street corners in Indian Trail, Waxhaw, Monroe, Matthews, and Weddington.
The message is clear: they want the board of education to vote “no” to shifting thousands of students to new schools.
“We’re going to make sure that the board, the community, the state–that they hear why this is so important to our families,” said Tim Wood, a Matthews resident.
“It’s affecting our neighborhood. It’s splitting up neighbors and friends. It’s causing conflict between people at this point,” said Ayers.
On top of that, many families feel they’ve been shut out of the conversation. So, rallies are their only option.
“I’m hoping that everyone comes together tomorrow for the rallies and shows their support in stopping redistricting,” said Kendall Smith, a Union County student.
Earlier this week, the Board of Education turned down $3 million from the county, saying there were strings attached. The money would have paid for mobile classrooms to help alleviate overcrowding.
