A proposal to repurpose the James Tansey Elementary School into a Pre-K early learning center brought out dozens in opposition to last night’s Fall River School Committee meeting at Durfee High School.
The idea for the change at Tansey surfaced at a subcommittee meeting held last week exploring existing space options within the district’s current facilities to expand the city’s Pre-K offerings. The school committee took no action on the Tansey proposal and another plan that called for the transfer of Stone Therapeutic Day School services from the current Westall School to space at 2501 South Main Street, which once housed the Atlantis Charter School.
The message from those who commented on preserving Tansey focused on how the school provides a safe environment for students. Parent Jennifer Santos has a second grader at Tansey. She said the school committee and administration are being non-responsive to the needs of the Tansey community.
Fall River Public Schools teacher Rachel Lee told the committee that the movement of current Tansey students to other schools will disrupt their ability to succeed in the classroom.
Mikayla Gonzalves was a Tansey student from kindergarten to grade three before transferring to the Frank M. Silvia School. She said the impacts of a transition to a larger school should not be overlooked.
School Committee member Tom Khoury said even though the growth of the city’s Pre-K program is a priority of the district, it will not impact other learning opportunities for city students.
Video Courtesy Fall River Educational Television.
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