Rapides School Board OKs change for some Tioga, Bolton feeder students

Parents of a small group of students soon will have to make a decision after the Rapides Parish School Board approved a change on Tuesday to the attendance zones for Tioga and Bolton high schools.

Members unanimously approved the change, which now sets the Red River as the boundary for Tioga Junior High, Tioga High, Bolton High and Alexandria Middle Magnet schools. The change takes effect with the 2023-24 school year, which begins for students Aug. 14.

The vote came without much discussion since it had been debated during a committee meeting in May. There were no public comments.

The change was spearheaded by members Wilton Barrios and Sandra Franklin, who had asked Superintendent Jeff Powell to come up with a solution that would stop busing fewer than 200 students who lived in the Alexandria area to Tioga schools.

During a May 16 committee meeting, Powell said there are 150 students in grades seven through 12 in the area in question. Of those, 126 attend either Tioga Junior or Tioga High schools.

The remaining 24 attend other schools through open enrollment, hardship exemptions or through choice.

Although no elementary students are bused across the river, there are 224 students in grades one through six who were zoned for north Rapides schools before the change. Those students will switch from the Tioga feeder system to the Bolton feeder system.

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Thirty-four of the students would have begun seventh grade at Tioga Junior High in August but will remain at Alexandria Middle Magnet.

Powell read the letter that is set to go out to parents, telling them about the decision and their choice on whether to stay in the Tioga feeder system or transfer to the Bolton feeder system.

Parents should receive that letter or some form of notification about the change, and they will have a deadline for their decision. Powell said that deadline could be July 31, but he needed to check with the Louisiana High School Athletic Association (LHSAA) first to see if that conflicted with any of its deadlines for high school student athletes.

Middle school athletics are not governed by LHSSA, according to Powell's letter.

The board's decision potentially also could change the number of teacher slots at the schools, said Powell.

Board member Wally Fall asked Powell if the administration was going to it make "really, really, really sure" that all parents know about the change so no one is surprised once classes begin again. Powell reassured him the district had ways to reach out to the parents of this "very specific group of students."