The Pinellas County School Board has been looking to close seven of their schools over the past few weeks.
A vote was scheduled for Oct. 13, but one of the schools is off of the chopping block — for now.
The board decided to meet with families of students at Sexton Elementary and review plans before coming to a final decision.
ALSO READ: Pinellas County plans to close seven schools and merge others due to lack of enrollment
Sexton PTA president Jacquelyn Hussey said this temporary decision won’t stop parents from pushing to keep the St. Petersburg school open.
"We are definitely not going to get comfortable and we're not going to stop,” Hussey said. “We're going to just keep hitting the ground and talking to as many people who will listen to us, we are not slowing down."
She added they appreciate the board staying open-minded to keeping the school open.
Her daughter, Olivia, is a second-grader at Sexton.
Hussey said she tried to keep the potential closure news from her for as long as possible. But Olivia saw the work she was doing and grew curious.
"So, I had to break the news to her, unfortunately, and she went to pieces,” said Hussey. “But I reassured her, we're not just going to let this happen — we're going to fight the best we can."
Sexton Elementary is just a few minutes away from Hussey’s home in St. Petersburg, as is the recreation center that Olivia frequents.
“We would be disturbing her in two places because she has her friends at school and her environment at school, and she has the people she knows at the rec center,” Hussey said.
After hearing feedback from concerned parents during a workshop Tuesday, Superintendent Kevin Hendrick said the board will not include Sexton Elementary in next week’s vote.
ALSO READ: Pinellas County School Board votes to close, merge schools to address low enrollment
"It's not something that, I think, you can just lay out a recommendation and vote the next week,” Hendrick said. “I think you have to listen, continue to gather feedback, knowing that you're not going to make everyone happy because everyone's unique situation is different.”
But Sexton isn’t the only school at risk.
Hendrick updated his recommendation on the board’s “Planning for Progress” proposal.
He now wants to create two K-8 schools in the Tarpon Springs area — one at the current Sunset Hills Elementary School and another at Tarpon Springs Fundamental Elementary School.
Parents from Sexton banded together with Tarpon Springs Middle School, which is also at risk of closure, to advocate for an alternative.
“We're just a united front,” Hussey said. “They've had a bigger impact than we have, honestly, so they seem like a good role model.”
The School Board is set to vote on Oct. 13 on the other six proposed school closures.
The zoning changes of impacted schools will be considered at a separate board meeting.
