Jones County School Board Discusses Possible Changes to Middle School Attendance Zones

If you’re the parent of a Jones County middle school student, your child may have to change schools next year.

Tonight, the Jones County Board of Education discussed a proposed map that redraws middle school attendance zones. Board members say Gray Station Middle School is overcrowded, making it necessary to balance out the populations of that school and Clifton Ridge middle.

Members say they realize this is an emotional issue for many, and pledge to work together with the community to make the change as easy as possible.

“People get very much attached to their school they get in a comfort zone, they know the teachers, they know the administration, they know the routine,” says Superintendent William Mathews. “Either their child is a cheerleader or they’re on the ball team..and so you have that emotional attachment to that school and we do understand and respect that; but the bottom line is you have to look at ‘how can we best serve the totality of our population with our facilities and what arrangement can we make to maximize our opportunity for service?'”

The deadline for the final draft of the redrawn map is February 3rd. Then, board members will hold a work session to assess community feedback on the issue. If you would like to share your concerns or opinions on the new attendance zones, visit www.jones.k12.ga.us, and download the attendence feedback form.