ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Orange County Public Schools will have its last day of classes on Wednesday. With that, the district has announced seven schools will close their doors for good at Wednesday’s final bell.
Channel 9 spoke with parents at Union Park Middle School as they dropped off their students for the day.
“I have three other siblings; we all went here,” Andrea George, a sibling of Union Park Middle School students, said. “I was really surprised. It’s a little stressful.”
Union Park Middle is one of seven schools shutting down this week.
The middle school, and six other elementary schools, include: Bonneville Elementary, Chickasaw Elementary, Eccleston Elementary, McCoy Elementary, Meadow Woods Elementary, and Orlo Vista Elementary.
Channel 9 first covered the closures in March, following OCPS losing 3,100 students, resulting in a $30 million reduction in state funding.
Other parents are also raising concerns and said they don’t understand the decision.
“I’m puzzled,” a parent said. “We did not expect it. We have been rezoned. We’ll have to go wherever they say. It’s still not an ideal situation.”
Union Park Middle School currently enrolls about 558 students but has the capacity to serve more than 1,400.
Parents fear this is a trend that will trigger a chain reaction.
“Is this going to continue with other schools in the area?” George asked. “If we keep losing schools, what are we going to do?
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