photo by: Matt Resnick | Journal-World

Kaelyn McCall, second from right, addresses Lawrence school board members and other district personnel at Schwegler Elementary School on Monday, Oct. 30, 2023.

At a small public gathering on Monday, members of the Lawrence school board heard concerns about the mental health of elementary school students affected by school closures, as well as challenges that have arisen in getting children safely to school.

The informal discussion at Schwegler Elementary School, called “Beyond the Boardroom,” was attended by five community members, two administrators and all school board members except for Erica Hill and Paula Vann.

In a pair of 4-3 votes in March the board voted to close Broken Arrow and Pinckney elementary schools, resulting in an influx of students at several schools, including Schwegler. Kaelyn McCall, the parent of a former Broken Arrow student who now attends Schwegler, said that the closure has been “super hard” on her daughter.

“Her two best friends both went to Cordley” after Broken Arrow closed and students were sent to different schools, McCall said, “but we’ve intentionally found ways to keep them together outside of school.”

“This has been heartbreaking and is a big deal to her,” McCall said.

Of the board members who were at the discussion, Kelly Jones, Shannon Kimball and Ronald “G.R.” Gordon-Ross all voted in favor of the closures of both schools, and Carole Cadue-Blackwood was opposed. Bob Byers, who also attended Monday night’s meeting, was not yet a member of the board at the time of the votes in late March.

McCall said the adjustment to new teachers and staff has also been rough on her daughter.

“For the new students in this building, not having those adults that they knew, I think, has been so hard on those kids,” she said.

Schwegler Principal Jared Comfort said that after some “feedback early on from a few families whose kids were struggling,” support groups were formed to help those students who were having trouble adjusting. Roughly 100 students from Broken Arrow were moved to Schwegler as a result of the closure, Comfort said, and the support groups have “really been a bridge for some of them.”

Lindsey Yankey, a parent of a Woodlawn Elementary School kindergarten student, said that the students affected by closures needed more behavioral health upport.

“I think that’s something we can probably look at,” said Jones, the school board president. “And additionally, I would say that you needed more support before (the closures).”

Mary Eisfelder, the parent of a Woodlawn student, also expressed concern about how the closures have affected the socialization of students. The discussion was also tied in more broadly with the COVID-19 pandemic and the loss of in-person instructional time.

“If I’m hearing what you’re describing, it’s not unique to Woodlawn,” Kimball told Eisfelder. “This is happening in buildings districtwide.”

Some attendees raised safety concerns about new walking routes and street crossings. There was also some discussion about the effects of a “bicycle boulevard” that runs near the school on Ousdahl Road, and whether it’s affected traffic control during student drop-off and pickup times.

“I feel like the changes that the city made with the bicycle boulevard have made that worse,” Kimball said. “We raised those issues with the city and said that this was going to be a problem for this building.”

Community members who didn’t attend Monday’s gathering will have more chances to offer feedback in the future. Jones told the Journal-World that the board plans to hold its “Beyond the Boardroom” discussions on a “near-monthly” basis moving forward.

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to reflect that Lindsey Yankey’s child is a kindergarten student who attends Woodlawn Elementary School.