Dear Neighbors,

We need your help to preserve the heart of the Duck Creek community and protect neighborhood schools! Dartmouth Elementary School has long been the cornerstone of the Duck Creek neighborhood, fostering close-knit relationships among families and providing an outstanding education for our children. Sadly, Richardson ISD's proposed Project RightSize would divide Duck Creek in two without regard for a natural placement of attendance boundaries, and would sever the school from more than a third of its community support. Under the proposal, an estimated 113 Dartmouth students would be rezoned out of the neighborhood school to make room for 221 students being displaced by Springridge Elementary’s closure.

We know that RISD Administration has a heavy task in identifying school closures to “right size” its budget. We also know that NIH research shows poor school transition experiences "can negatively affect a child’s academic achievement, social-emotional competence, and behavior.” Causing this level of disruption and loss in a school that is also being asked to receive hundreds of displaced families does a disservice to Duck Creek and Dartmouth Elementary, to the displaced students from Springridge Elementary, and to the entire Richardson ISD learning community.

Together we can find a solution that doesn't involve splitting Dartmouth's neighborhood in two and maintains active community support at the school during this critical transition. Let us welcome Springridge families without displacing the Ducks!

Please sign this petition if you believe in preserving communities and keeping schools at their heart. Let's stand together to ensure that Dartmouth Elementary School continues to be a great home for ALL Ducks – current and future!

Thank you for your support.