Winchester School Redistricting Plan Faces Accessibility Issue

Despite housing students and staff in an non-handicapped accessible building for two years, Winchester is not expected to be penalized, according to a Boston Globe report. However, the situation presents another problem the School Department will have to contend with as it works toward redistricting elementary school students by the time the school year gets underway in the fall, according to the report.

Based on the department’s current plan, the central office would be moved to the Parkhurst School, a former elementary school which is not handicapped accessible, from Lynch Elementary School, an important measure that is part of the redistricting plan and frees up space at Lynch for classrooms, according to the report. Parkhurst has been used since the start of the 2011-12 school year to house students from Vinson-Owen Elementary School while construction of a new school is completed, reads the report. The new Vinson-Owen is expected to open this fall, adds the report.

No current staff or students have disabilities that would require the use of an elevator, which Parkhurst does not have, according to town attorney Wade Welch in the report.

In other news, the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights has made no ruling related to a complaint filed in December of last year, according to the report. The complaint claims that the town's redistricting plan discriminates against some children based on their race, national origin and limitd English proficiency, the report adds.

To read the complete Boston Globe report, click here.

Previous Coverage

Winchester Faces Investigation Over School Redistricting

Concerns About Redistricting Surface

Committee Talks Redistricting Tonight

Superintendent Proposes Redistricting Map

Teachers Unpacking at Newly-Renovated Parkhurst

Vinson-Owen School Prepares Move to Parkhurst

PHOTO GALLERY: Construction Continues on Parkhurst

School Committee Makes Decision on VO Swing-Space and Additional Classrooms

School Committee Tables Redistricting Vote

Parents Outraged with Redistricting Plan

Redistricting Public Hearing Is Tonight

Increasing Enrollment to Force Winchester to Redistrict