A pocket in the junior high boundaries of Lawrence public schools is again causing a flap.

Students who live north of Peterson Road and east of Kasold Drive attend Central Junior High, although the rest of their Deerfield School classmates head to West Junior High.

One function of the district’s policy is to try to even out the socio-economic and minority population at the four junior high schools. But the pocket north of Peterson Road has educators crunching numbers and pondering scenarios.

“We need to look at that and see what it does to both schools,” said Scott Morgan, a Lawrence school board member who serves on the boundary committee.

Parents’ concerns include moving students away from most of their friends for seventh grade and the school not being within walking distance for students.

According to district statistics, 54 junior high students live in that area.

Deerfield isn’t alone, as seven other elementary schools have students split among the four junior high schools. But now that construction has expanded the junior high schools and taken away portable classrooms, the Peterson Road pocket has garnered the most attention from administrators and board members.

“I don’t like issues that are always there that keep popping up and taking staff time,” Morgan said.

If the boundary committee, which started meeting in November, wants to present a plan for the school board to consider, it must come up with something quickly because junior high school enrollment for next year starts soon.

“I think keeping kids together whenever we can is best for the kids,” said Paige Hofer, a boundary committee member, on the practice of dividing students after elementary school.

The committee floated two plans last week. One would substitute the Pinckney neighborhood for the area north of Peterson Road at Central. The students north of Peterson Road would then go to West.

Tom Bracciano, the district’s division director of operations and facility planning, said under this plan Central would gain about 30 students that West would lose. He is checking with a demographic firm to see how that move would affect the socio-economic populations at each school.

Central’s site council representative on the committee has proposed extending the Peterson Road line west past Kasold Drive to boost Central’s enrollment. Olivette Watson, who lives north of Peterson Road, said it would also allow more Deerfield students to attend Central to keep more students together after sixth grade.

She said it can be an inconvenience to travel farther for school activities, but it’s worth it.

“Of course, now I love Central,” she said.

The district has granted transfers into West from that area, Bracciano said. The committee’s chairman has also voiced caution about different scenarios.

“(Moving boundary lines) will look real nice on the map, but it can be a real mess,” Bracciano said.

The committee is also considering moving the Gaslight Village Mobile Home Park, 1900 W. 31st St., into the South Junior High district – which is within walking distance. Those students now attend Southwest Junior High, although students farther to the west go to South.