CHELSEA — Parents concerned or confused about the Department of Education's upcoming plans to rezone the area's school district will get a chance to voice their opinions on Tuesday.
The local community board plans on rallying parents on a nearby street corner before the community education council's meeting on the changes that night. From there, parents and other concerned citizens will march to the meeting.
Community Board 4's invitation to the event asks parents to bring "questions, issues, concerns, opinions, family, friends and the courage to speak on behalf of our children."
Many parents in Chelsea, especially those who live in the Penn South co-op buildings, are angry about the proposed zoning changes. Some, who chose to live in the southern buildings of the Penn South complex so their children could attend P.S. 11, were shocked to find out that the new plan would have them send their kids to P.S. 33 instead. Several parents have said they consider P.S. 11 a superior school.
The changes will also affect parts of Chelsea below 17th Street. If the plans are approved, parents who previously had a choice of sending their kids to either P.S. 41 or P.S. 3 would have to send them to P.S. 11.
The proposed changes would go into effect for the 2012-13 school year.
Tuesday's meeting is the final of three public input sessions about the rezoning plans, though they likely won't be decided upon until later this year. The meeting will focus on the proposed changes for Chelsea and the West Village.
Parents wanting to rally beforehand can meet at the southwest corner of West 21st Street and Eighth Avenue at 5:45 p.m. on Oct. 11. The full meeting is scheduled to take place at at P.S. 11, 320 W. 21st St., at 6:30 p.m.
