I come to you as a concerned parent of a child at Hagood Elementary. Like myself, many other parents are concerned with the proposal that is laid out to close Hagood Elementary School. We urge you and pray that you make the right decision to keep Hagood open. We can’t stress it enough about the class sizes being such an important factor. Hundreds of studies show that children learn better in smaller classes. Larger classes reduce standardized test scores and increase school bullying.

We understand that many schools in our area are at half capacity but do you really feel the schools should be filled to the point where there is no room for future growth? No one wants to see any more portable classrooms at any school.

I’m all for saving money but I don’t feel we should sacrifice our kids’ education to do so. The proposal to close Hagood and use that building for other purposes would actually increase unnecessary spending which would eliminate any savings.

We beg you to find a way to keep the door open and the kids learning. Don’t sacrifice our kids’ ability to learn in the way they are accustomed to. This is a school and kids’ lives we are talking about, not a store and merchandise.

Jeremy Bryant

Pickens