A part of the settlement agreement requires the Robertson County Sch…..
Smokey Barn News
Monday October 6, 2014
Robertson County, Tenn.
Fed’s Rezoning Of Robertson County Schools Presented To Board
After years of research and planning, Robertson County School’s have officially announced the disposition of the Federal Government’s rezoning for K-12. The release of the information was delivered at Monday night’s school board meeting. The new zoning will take effect in the 2015-16 school year.
Below is all the information released by the Robertson County Schools on how the rezoning will effect each neighborhood in Robertson County. The maps are Links that will allow you to expand and navigate to your home.
The final piece that will make the mapping official is a final vote by the board in their regularly scheduled November 3rd meeting.
Commenting on Facebook/Twitter and Smokey’s main site is a wonderful way to express your feelings about the changes. However, only comments sent to [email protected] will be received by the Department of Justice, according to school officials.
On September 5, 2014 representatives of the United States Department of Justice notified our school board attorney that the department had completed its investigation into allegations that the Robertson County School District is discriminating on the basis of race through assignment practices, including failing to desegregate the District’s schools. The United States Department of Justice has determined, “…the District has yet to desegregate its schools and eliminate the vestiges of its prior segregated school system.”
This “finding” issued by the United States Department of Justice will now require the Robertson County Board of Education to enter into a settlement agreement in order to avoid litigation by the United States Department of Justice, and the potential loss of all federal funds to the Robertson County School District.
A part of the settlement agreement requires the Robertson County School District to adopt new attendance zones developed by the United States Department of Justice. The school board wants to emphasize that the new zone 
lines were developed by the united states department of justice and their contractors and not by the local school board.
The letter from the United States Department of Justice, along with the settlement agreement, the demographic charts, and zoning maps are currently available here on our website for the citizens of Robertson County to review. A special e-mail address ([email protected]) has also been established to allow Robertson County citizens the opportunity to express their thoughts and concerns about this matter and to provide the Robertson County School Board with information that can be given to the board attorney and the United States Department of Justice.
The settlement document contains several items which will allow the district some flexibility in granting special permission for students who fall into one or more of the categories specified by the Department of Justice for granting out of zone requests.
Additionally, students who are currently enrolled in 4th grade at an elementary school, 7th grade at a middle school, or 10th and 11th grades at a high school, will have the option to remain at their current school until they have completed the terminating grade for that school. However, parents will be required to provide transportation to and from school for students choosing to take advantage of this option.
In order to allow parents to respond to the new plans public forums well be held in the coming weeks before the final November school board meeting, according Robertson County School’s Press rep, Jim Bellis.
Public Forums scheduled:
- White House Heritage High School: 5-7 p.m. on October. 20
- East Robertson High School: 5-7 p.m. on October. 22
- Springfield High School: 5-7 p.m. October. 28
- Greenbrier High School: 5-7 p.m. on October. 23
- Coopertown Middle School: 5-7 p.m. on October. 29
- Jo Byrns High School: 5-7 p.m. on October. 27
Schedule Info according to, James Marshall, Supervisor Of Technology with Robertson County School District.
- Department of Justice Findings Letter regarding Robertson County Schools
- Settlement Agreement between the United States and Robertson County Schools
- Student Assignment Plan
Zoning Maps
- Elementary zones (9 MB)
- Middle school zones (9 MB)
- High school zones (9 MB)
STUDENT TRANSFERS (From the Settlement Agreement)
The District shall not approve a student transfer unless the student’s transfer application, including supporting documentation, establishes one of the following reasons:
a. Child of Employee. A student who resides with a parent or legal guardian who is
actively employed as faculty or staff of the District shall be eligible to attend the school at which the employee works.
b. Safety of the Student. If the safety of the student is in jeopardy, or if the student is endangering the safety of other students, the District shall require a statement signed by the designated administrator(s) of the sending school setting forth the potential harm to the student or other students and describing how the transfer will alleviate the situation to verify the safety purpose of the transfer.
c. Course of Study. Students may request a transfer in order to pursue a high school course of study not offered at the student’s school assignment based on residence. The District shall require that the principal or designated administrator(s) of the sending school submit a signed statement verifying the unavailability of the specific course(s) and the necessity of the student’s transfer.
d. Hardship Transfer. If any parent or guardian believes that exceptional and extenuating circumstances warrant the transfer of a student, the parent or guardian may request a hardship transfer. The hardship exception is meant to provide for transfers in unique and urgent situations, such as the incarceration or terminal illness of a parent/guardian, abuse or neglect affecting the student or parent/guardian, or natural disaster. Documentation must include: (i) a signed, dated sworn affidavit from the parent/guardian explaining the exceptional hardship and why the hardship requires a transfer to the requested school; and (ii) supporting documentation, such as signed letter(s) of support from doctors, authorities, or others who can confirm the hardship. The Director of Schools or designated administrator(s) shall review the application and supporting documentation and shall have the right to request additional supporting documentation.
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Ok it has nothing to do with racism, but with the negative remarks of an aquited man it would be only right to forgive his evil pass as he had forgiven you and your fore-parents of the evil done to him and his descendants and his fore-parents whether “raped” beaten etc. during a time of “IGnorance”. Let the law do its job, it’s only right for the people of Robertson county we must learn to live together, only prejudices keep us torn apart and the result is the madness we see and hear!
Yes he raped a 16 year old white girl…. And admitted to the crime. So this is the person leading the march and screaming racism…. figures.
To clarify your ignorance this has nothing to do with race. Fact is people do NOT want to be FORCED from the schools and area that they CHOSE to live and send their children. Now go pull your head out of the sand and see what is going on and stop screaming that race is the issue… in fact trying to say that this is about race is as lame as it gets.
Unfortunately there is little to no chance of a lawsuit being successful…..
The contention that constitutional due process required that the appellants be given individual hearings to contest the “transfer” of their children to another school is also without merit. The appellants have not shown an infringement of a liberty or property interest. See Goss v. Lopez, 419 U.S. 565, 95 S.Ct. 729, 42 L.Ed.2d 725 (1975). Students have no constitutional right to attend a particular school. See McDaniel v. Barresi, 402 U.S. 39, 91 S.Ct. 1287, 28 L.Ed.2d 582; Broussard v. Houston Independent School District, 395 F.2d 817, 821 (5th Cir.1968). The appellants have not shown a constitutionally protected interest entitling them to due process hearings. Points of error one, two, three, and seven are overruled.
When I was a little boy some people used to stand in front of the court house and say crazy things on Saturday mornings,they wore white uniforms with big hats with a mask on them.Is this the same group with no uniforms??? Most of them have the same argument.
Whoa just found out the alderman responsible for the rezoning crap is a pedophile and rapist…and this is the man responsible for bussing our kids
I drove a bus in Metro Nashville back in the 80s. I saw first hand it was the black children were the ones who spent 45 minutes a day one way to mix and mingle with white kids…..did it help? No. Parents were further removed from their kids schools, oh but wait, it wasnt about making education better anyway…it was about gov control! Duh! Wake up people, stop being used!!!!
Youre being exploited. Get a clue.
I’m unhappy as the next parent but here’s a solution: if you don’t want your child to go to a Springfield school…. Then you better move to Springfield. Just sayin.
P Cook, did you go to SHS? Do you personally know kids who go to SHS? Your comments are showing your ignorance.
Don’t get it,
Everything you wrote has nothing to do with rezoning. There are good kids and bad kids in every district. Most of the problem with public schools in general stems from parents, and lack of respect and discipline, but that has nothing to do with rezoning either. The general population of Robertson County is afraid of change. If you truly feel this way NOT because of colors, incomes, etc., good for you. Unfortunately, that is not the attitude of many, dare I say most of the population. As for the “hate” comment, I stated facts, not emotional rhetoric. Are you disputing the fact that Robertson County has a very high teenage pregnancy rate? What about the percentage of high school graduates who go to college? The hate is written in the comments on this article. The people have spoken, and they are not very bright. Unfortunately, the majority of the people were “educated” in Robertson County, not only SHS.
so are people like you
Everyone is blaming the Board of Education, the Director of Schools, and the government. Has anyone stopped to ask how all this mess with the Office of Civil Rights got started? Somebody said that it was all about money, and it is. A couple of people in our community led the charge for a charter school, so they stirred all of this up, but they get to walk away clean and possibly profit from the confusion. Why aren’t we asking them questions? The complaint is public record; just ask for it.
This is to everyone that says that they won’t let their kids go to school with kids from Springfield. DON’T LET THE DOOR HIT YOU ON THE WAY OUT. because people like you are the reason this is happening in the first place.
This is just the beginning. 20 years ago I moved from Davidson County, not because of my “Fear” of having to to expose my children to those of a different race or ethnic background. It was because the “Community School” had been replaced by some pin heads attempt to social enginering. What happened was the opposite. Upper middle class families, (Black and White) moved thier kids to private schools and the rest were bused all over. Poor families struggle to allow the kids to get involved in after school functions and the love of community and school pride was gone with the wind. The same will happen here. You do an inner city child the same disservice by removing them from thier source of support and comfort as you do the rural child. Get ready for a quick increase in private school enrollment.
I am going to go about this in a completely different way. God has convicted me over the feelings I have held over this. Every child in one way or another will be affected by this, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be bad. It will only be bad if we choose to make it that way. Our children watch and listen to us. It does not matter if you are white, black, or Hispanic it is your responsibility to teach your children how to embrace change. God calls us to love one another. These comments show anything but love. It amazes me how some of us are preparing to go to Haiti to share the love of Jesus, but we can’t even do it here at home. Shame on all of us.
The redistricting lines that have been drawn and agreed to have really only one thing in common. It is money. Yes they say it’s better for the children, teachers, and parents but just ask yourself this question. ‘Would you be willing to pay more in property taxes or rent to keep the old lines?’ because we would not be able to accept the federal money.
When Robertson County can all agree that we will not accept the O.P.M. (other peoples money) than we will be out of breath talking about the lines and where my child goes to school. I will also add that certain people (myself included) will have a property value decrease with these new lines.
By the way, if you are upset with these new mandates just check out the Common Core standards and what that means for your children. This is just the tip of the iceberg!
I just want to say that it makes me no difference who comes out to my school I believe everyone will be welcomed at East Robertson. They are a caring school to all kids. Every school has issues. My own personal issue is that I have lived 39 years on the same farm. My father attended East the fist year it was built which was during desegregation. Now that he attended and I attended and for 10 years my special needs son has attended East I simply want my children to go where they have been going. I am not well but not dying so I feel I need my kids to go to the closest school possible. 30 minutes is too far for me to drive while East is less than 10 and I have people who could help me in Cross Plains. That being said 1 mile out of zone is bull. I welcome any kids to come out to East and feel as cared for as any other. Just let us parents have a say.
I will be glad to join the lawsuit. I may end up having to sell my dream home and start all over because of this mess. I think the Board of Education should be sued by the people of Robertson County.
I could agree more. Its ashame that we have to suffer this all over again. I think if you built a centrally located high school, middle school, and elementary school that would solve it all.
This rezoning has nothing to do with education. Its all about funding.
Do these maps really mean anything? When we lived in Nashville, my daughter started kindergarten @ Paragon Mills, which was 2 blocks from our home. Then she was bussed across town for 1st and 2nd grade @ Napier Elementary. For those not familiar with Napier, it’s in the middle of the projects. Her 1st grade teacher was awesome, but her 2nd grade teacher ruined her desire to be in school. I guess my point is, just because the “map” shows us in the Coopertown district, I suppose they can bus the kids wherever they deem necessary.
Very well put. Anyone can attend any school as long as they live in the district. By choice I live in a certain area and by all rights so can anyone. What is sad are those who force others to comply to their whims.
talk about hatred… wow.. your post is the poster child for hate… its not about “we dont’ want black kids in our schools” its about kids (white black asian hispanic, pink, purple, yellow, green or rainbow colored) who stand behind a news camera after school flipping the bird behind the reporters back (and where were their parents? hmmm) . we do not want children who are going to loiter, cause trouble, steal and cause fights. small town kids go to school, participate in extra curricular activities, go to practice, go help with the family chores and keep their nose clean. as parents its our job to protect our childrens innocence for as long as we can. They can deal with real life when they are grown. just because the media throws sex and violence in our faces doesn’t mean we have to sit our kids down and make them watch it. its about small schools without fights and without trouble. kids that can actually learn, hence higher test scores. Maybe if parents would start being held accountable for their childrens actions in springfield the way they are in these other small towns, raise their kids to be respectful to their teachers and others then the teachers could have time to actually teach.
Well, I must say that I am not at all surprised by the reaction of the good people of Robertson County. The fact is that there was a desegregation plan in 1970. Robertson County failed to comply. Fast forward forty-four years, and you people are STILL of the mindset that your kids will suffer because their schools are desegregated? Now, I know, most of you who moved to Coopertown, Jo Byrns, and Greenbrier did so because you didn’t want your kids to go to school with children of other races. Sorry. Welcome to the 21st century! Perhaps your children will have a chance to rise above the ignorance with which they have been raised, and go out into the WORLD (not just the county) and realize that they should not judge others because of the color of their skin, their income, nor their religious beliefs. Perhaps now the children of Robertson County will be able to distance themselves from their racist, narrow-minded, barely educated communities and do good things. It seems to me that when teenage pregnancy is so high, and seeking higher education after High School is so low, maybe the schools outside of Springfield are not doing a better job educating their children than Springfield Schools.
Our City Alderman James Hubbard filed this lawsuit with the Federal Government several years ago.
My girls have grown up in Coopertown we bought a house here because of the school why should they have to suffer. Any one is welcome to move here no matter what there color. If they don’t that is there choice. So unfair to all the kids…
I would never allow my child to go to a drug infested school like greenbrier high
I thought busing for desegregation stopped years ago. In my opinion, move to the place where your kids can go to the school you want them to go to. Yes Greenbrier HS is probably at least 95% white. So What. If a family wants their kids to go to Greenbrier HS move so they can go there. If families have moved into Greenbrier, most have done so because they want their kids in Greenbrier schools. Don’t make them move again and again and again. No minority group has been told they can’t live in Greenbrier. They just choose not to do so. You can live anywhere you want to unless Eric Holder thinks different. I hate it when kids are in turmoil just because of politics. Neighborhood schools are the way to go. Move to the neighborhood and go to that school. Do you think they are busing kids in and out of the 90210 school system. In case you forgot, 90210 is the zip code for Beverly Hills, California. I bet they don’t have this problem.
If you were a what? I’m having a really hard time replacing that asterix mark with anything other than a racial slur.
Say what you want to say but sound a little 1950 alabamish to me.All of y’all should have been done in the 1970s when everybody else did
Where is the neighborhood high school for Coopertown? We have been bused into Springfield for years. Welcome to the club.
these kids have been going to school together since they were babies. now you’re going to uproot these kids from their neighborhood schools and friends just to appease a statistical #. People are free to move into greenbrier to put their kids in better schools. grow up and stop hollering racism. people live among who they want to for a reason. i promise that if my child starts suffering because of this new zoning there will be lawsuits against robertson county schools.. bet your butt on that.
Fact remains the Robertson County Board of Education has known of this issue for quite some time and despite numerous requests ignored the situation. This is the result of them turning a blind eye to the problem. Now all families that have been rezoned are paying the price for their ignorance.
Springfield is bad and SHS pales to the other school systems. I too have lived here all my life and am NOT impressed with Springfield’s school system.
I feel that the school board and director should also be held accountable for this action. They have known this was a problem for years and have chosen to ignore it. Now that it is being forced by the government, they are trying to lay blame on them when the Board’s own inaction has led to this and now there is no say left for those of us whose children are being affected. I urge everyone to remember this and don’t let the school system off the hook and blame others.
As for the highschools and the minority neighborhoods, it looks like basically they are taking north of Richard Street(ML patterson) and westside of Springfield and busing them to Jo Byrns. The rest of the traditionally minority areas are unchanged. Looks like Springfield got a little different rural areas. Greenbrier is picking up one side of lake side, north of Memorial over to the legacy. Maybe there are some hispanics there in that area, but there cant be that many. Looks like we need to give Rose Hill to East or White House Heritage so they can be diversified as well. Looks like Jo Byrns is getting diversified for sure and getting the worst of all this. Is this the best they could come up with? Springfield’s Athletic Programs are going to hurt from this loss of talent going to Cedar Hill. Someone needs to start a http://www.FireMikeDavis.com website.
Very well put and a true statement.
Another reason to ALWAYS vote republican
The lesson here is, don’t think you can buy or build in a certain school zone. Even though that’s a major factor for parents, the dept of justice can apparently yank that security right out from under you. Then you’re left wondering what to do. Send them to a school you really don’t want to? Private school? Homeschool?
I don’t believe this. This is UNBELIEVE! Why rezone when most of these children have been going to schools since they started school. I know parents are going mad because they don’t they’re children going to a ghetto school:/
It is located for the Coopertown district for Elementary and Middle. For High School it is in the Springfield HS district.
Guys, grow up! None of these schools are bad. Springfield High is where I go and they give out the most scholarship money in the county and also have the most electives. Springfield Middle has raised their TCAP scores because teachers are making school fun again. So stop trying to say Springfield is a bad town and has bad schools, they don’t.
Springfield High is a problem school. Many parents have bought homes in other zones, by choice, to avoid sending their children to Springfield. So now what, uproot families just to appease a small few?? I refuse to send my children to Springfield.
Why rezone, just hold the teachers more accountable to educate. I have been in greenbrier all my life and allways had neighborhood schools. If you want to go to a school move to that distric, if you want to live in the projects then take what you get. Don’t pentalize people for making a better life for their families. As far as the government they need to keep their nose out of our county and people that think our prevous zoning was wrong need to move to the zone they want to be in.
This is my take on the situation. It doesn’t matter where they rezone, they can take their little maps and move them all over this * state but it still won’t change the fact that the school systems are only what they are because of the people that are in them. I don’t know if calling the school districts inner city is necessary but I do know that you get out of your kids what you put into them. You cannot take a child, white or black, that is not willing to succeed and place them in a different school district and in turn expect the school to help them become better individuals. It is their responsibility as parents to help their children be the best they can be regardless of what school district they are in. Poor or Rich, each person can put forth the same amount of effort.
Whether the school system is mostly white or black the school system is what it is because of the effort that comes from the individuals inside it. Go ahead and rezone and watch your test scores drop. It does not matter where you live or who you are, what matters is the quality of individuals inside the establishment. If I was a *, moving me to a different street corner wouldn’t make me less of one now would it?
property value just increased for greenbrier zone and took a nose dive if your not. Leave it to the government. learning is all about the parents. not diversity. We blame poor grades on the schools and teachers…. but its the parents just blaming someone for being bad parents
I don’t understand this. Springfield is overcrowded now, but with this new zoning, over half the county will be going there! And the other schools will still be mainly all white. This is making it worse not better. My family has lived on the same road since my grandfather bought the property in 1954. It has always been Greenbrier. Now its going to be Springfield???? I for one will fight this!
Who said we live in a free country? If so ur wrong! You need to stop a look around. We are not free any more.We moved here so my kids can go to a good school not to a failing inner city school. If you want ur kids to go to a different school then move to that zone. There is no reason to uproot our children and get them upset. Build more schools find out where the tax money is going to just don’t harm the children in this unnessary process..
Does anyone know how to file a law suite agents the ” justice” department? This rezoning is sheer BS..
I live in the country. My kids go to Jo Byrns. I don’t want them going to school with inner city kids. This is a free country. Free to live where you want, but not free from being dictated by the political fallacies that plague our country. This is unbelievable.
I will move before I let my kids go to Springfield.
I can’t make heads or tails from the map. Is Errel Dowlen Rd. in the Coopertown district?
This is just ridiculous. Have they thought that maybe if they would quit moving our kids from school to school every few years that possibly the grading scale would improve. They need to start thinking about the kids and stop with the stupid excuses.