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'You are going to rip the heart out of our community' | Walcott Elementary parents voice opposition to potential closure

The school district is proposing a plan that would remove Walcott's elementary classes, making it just a middle school.

DAVENPORT, Iowa — Outraged parents lined up at Davenport Community School District's council meeting Monday night to share their frustrations with the possible loss of Walcott Elementary.

The proposed plan would remove kindergarten through fifth grade at the school in order to make it strictly a middle school, meaning Walcott elementary students would need to bus even farther in order to get to a different school.

"Our girls are already on a bus for an hour and a half after they leave school, we are going to send them 15-20 minutes farther away?" asked one concerned parent. "What time are they going to get home? What time do they have to get on the bus to get there? You need to come to our community. Come see what we are about."

Many other parents echoed the importance of their community

"If you move our kids out of Walcott, you are going to rip the heart out of our community," another parent said.

One parent went as far as to say that decisions like these are what kill small towns, while another pleaded with the district to see the elementary students for who they are.

"I know you guys care a lot about numbers and dollar signs, but I think what is important is that you realize these kids are not just numbers and they are not just dollar signs. I am trying to raise some really great human beings. I think the right place to do that is Walcott Elementary," a parent said.

The school board stated that they have made no final decisions on the matter.

Walcott parents will host a public meeting on the possible loss of the school on Tuesday, Sept. 13 at Walcott's American Legion at 6 p.m.

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