I was in total disbelief when I heard that the RSU 52 Board of Directors was considering sending fifth- and sixth-graders from Greene and Leeds to Turner. This would create a four-year middle school there and leave only kindergarten through fourth-graders in their respective communities.

Would they want to close our elementary schools due to decreased enrollment and send all our students to Turner in the future?

It is frightening to think that children as young as 10 years old would be riding on buses with other students as old as 18 or 19. We all know that there is bullying that goes on during bus rides to schools. Bus drivers don’t have eyes in the back of their heads and cannot always prevent that type of behavior.

We don’t need to have all fifth- and sixth-graders in one school in order to create a four-year curriculum that would better prepare students for high school. The board of directors can require that the same curriculum be taught in all three RSU 52 elementary schools.

I would prefer to pay higher taxes than to jeopardize the emotional and physical well-being of our students. What price can be put on that?

I commend the RSU 52 directors for trying to save the taxpayers money, but hope that they will go back to the drawing board and find another alternative.

This is too much, too fast for Greene and Leeds families to accept.

Brenda Theriault, Greene


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