The Fort Mill School District is in the midst of a complex redistricting process, aiming to reconfigure elementary and middle school attendance zones in anticipation of the opening of Flint Hill Elementary next fall and Flint Hill Middle School in 2026. The process, while necessary to accommodate the district’s growth, has generated substantial feedback from concerned parents.
During a school board meeting on Tuesday night, parents voiced their concerns as the district presented its revised recommendations for new attendance lines. These updated proposals are slightly different from those initially submitted by an Ohio-based consultant two weeks ago. Changes include the reuniting of neighborhoods such as the Manors at Lake Ridge and parts of Baxter Village, which had been split in previous drafts.
Community Involvement and Feedback
In the two weeks since the initial proposal, the district received over 450 emails from parents, many from neighborhoods in the northern part of Fort Mill. The school district has been responsive to this input, incorporating feedback into the revised maps. Parents still have time to review the district’s recommendations and provide additional input before the final decision is made. The district provided this timeline for input and redistricting:
- October 1, 2024: School Board Meeting – Presentation of the Consultant’s Recommendation
- October 2-14, 2024: Community Feedback and District Evaluation of Consultant’s Recommendation
- October 15, 2024: School Board Meeting – Presentation of the District’s Recommendation
- October 16 – November 4, 2024: Community Feedback on the District’s Recommendation
- November 5, 2024: School Board Meeting – Consideration of Approval for the District’s Recommendation
- August 4, 2025: Flint Hill Elementary School opens, and students begin attending based on the approved elementary school attendance lines.
- August 2026: Flint Hill Middle School opens, and students begin attending based on the approved middle school attendance lines.
We value your input. Please submit feedback to [email protected] following the timeline listed above.
To assist with transparency, the district has made both interactive and static versions of the proposed attendance maps available for public review on its website, www.fortmillschools.org. These tools allow families to see how the changes may impact them.
The Flint Hill Schools and Environmental Concerns
One particularly contentious issue in the redistricting process revolves around the neighboring Silfab Solar manufacturing site. Residents have expressed concerns regarding the potential storage of hazardous chemicals at the facility, which is near the Flint Hill schools. However, according to district officials, the Environmental Protection Agency has approved emergency management plans for the site. These plans do not require any mandatory evacuations of Flint Hill schools, but York County emergency management and the school district will continue to review the situation.
Final Decision Approaches
The school board is expected to make its final decision on the new attendance lines on November 5, coinciding with Election Night. This decision will come at a critical time, as three of the seven school board seats are up for election. The current board members whose terms are expiring are part of a six-candidate field on the ballot, making this election particularly impactful for the future of the district.
As the redistricting process moves forward, parents are encouraged to review the proposed maps and continue voicing their opinions to ensure their concerns are addressed before the final vote.
