The residents of  The Village at Meadow Lakes strongly voice our support for Concept 3 for Elementary School and also equally oppose the decision to move existing  high school students to Waubonsie Valley High School. The reasons are:

1. It is extremely disruptive to our community, our families, and most of all, to our students.  Many students have just got back to normalcy after difficult times due to Covid 19. These boundary changes will again disrupt their school life and will have implications on their social, emotional and mental health. We still have full trust in the IPSD 204 school board and we trust the board to consider all aspects of this petition before finalizing the changes.

2. Concept # 3 supports most of the guiding principles in a greater way and ensures equitable experience for all the broader IPSD communities including the Villages at Meadow Lakes and adjoining communities. We voice our support for Concept # 3.

3. Concept 1 requires students to pass a Railroad crossing to elementary school. It is a big obstacle in driving students to school and it will affect the commute time.

4. Concept 1 is dividing the existing community and creates imbalance to the social wellbeing of its members. Concept 3 keeps the community together.

5. Considering proximity, White Eagle Elementary under Concept 3 is closer to the community than Gombert Elementary School proposed under Concept 1.

6. Grandfathering rule should be applied to all existing students in High School irrespective of the current grade they are in. All existing Metea Valley HS students should be given the choice if they want to remain in Metea Valley High School and their parents to provide the transportation in that case.

7. Changing school boundaries forces parents to send their kids to schools that they are not currently pursuing / planned. It not only disrupts kid’s education but also negatively impacts the property value. Choosing where to live and what schools to go to are some of the most important decisions people make in their lives.  All families made significant sacrifices in their lives to invest in their kid’s education and the families future. Their voices deserved to be heard and respected.

Considering all the above points we strongly urge the Board to support and pursue Concept 3 as the final decision and extend the Grandfathering option for all existing high school students.

Sincerely,

Residents of The Village At Meadow Lakes and adjoining communities