Hope may

spring eternal for some parents and children from last

month's bitter boundary dispute with the Coweta County

Board of Education.

Superintendent

of education Richard Brooks said this week that he is

looking at a proposal that would allow some students to

stay at their current schools.

The school

system is researching a proposal that would allow

students who have already been moved twice to stay at

their present schools.

"The

change would impact only those students who have been

moved twice since they've been in our school

system," Brooks said.

System

officials are checking to see how many students would

fall under this proposal and are expected to deliver a

recommendation at the April 11 school board meeting.

The

granfathering proposal is the latest step in one of the

most divisive attendance line disputes in years.

Feb. 8, the

board voted 5-1 to alter the lines to better reflect the

demographic makeup of the county and redistribute the

"at-risk" children to different schools.

The vote

was the final act of a nearly year-long opera that

consumed school administrators, the school board and

school officials.

But the

parents have believed the system's motives were

elsewhere.

"It's

illegal and it's called busing," said parent Michael

Mayor.

Emotional

mom Tracy Borman said she was extremely disappointed with

the school system. "You're using our small children

to try and get better test scores," she said.

Peter

Skrmetti asked why the board wanted public comment on the

matter when it seemed the matter was already decided.

Many have

said the impetus for the change was Pathway Communities,

the development company that is developing the 2,500-home

SummerGrove subdivision.

The new

subdivision is next to Newnan Crossing Elementary School,

which is the lowest ranking school in the system and also

is currently more than 80 percent minority.

Under the

approved lines, Newnan Crossing will decrease its

minority population to just over 30 percent, while White

Oak Elementary School will see its minority population

rise from 6 percent to 24 percent.

Board

member Bill Covington said the board had been struggling

with this problem for over a year and had looked at all

the options.

"We

just want to make sure we treat all kids fairly," he

said.