School redistricting impacts students, families

Published Aug. 21, 2013
By Staff Reports
48th Fighter Wing Public Affairs

ROYAL AIR FORCE LAKENHEATH, England -- Due to limited space and changes to the age demographics of kindergarten through fifth grade students, the DoD Education Activity has made changes to school redistricting and bus routes beginning Monday, Aug. 26.

Collectively, this change will impact students and their families presently living on RAF Mildenhall, Beck Row and Holywell Row.

All RAF Mildenhall base housing elementary students, which includes kindergarteners and 1st through 3rd graders, and intermediate school students, which includes 4th and 5th graders, will attend Feltwell Elementary School, as will kindergartners and 1st graders from Beck Row and Holywell Row.

In an effort to maintain family integrity, older siblings from Beck Row and Holywell Row may transfer to FES with their younger siblings when possible, according to DoDEA.

Due to the number of students in the kindergarten and 1st grade demographic, Lakenheath Elementary School has space constraints that contribute to this change.

"We have excellent schools with qualified staff who maintain the same student-to-teacher ratio on both Feltwell and Lakenheath," said Lt. Col. Marc Vandeveer, 48th Mission Support Group commander. "We are committed to supporting DoDEA in making this transition as seamless and smooth as possible for affected families."

DoDEA is planning to contact the families of the affected students Wednesday in writing to facilitate the transfer. A general message to all families will follow through the schools' parent distribution lists.

In order to publicly address concerns and questions associated with the redistricting, 48th Fighter Wing and DoD Dependents Schools leadership will host a town hall meeting on Thursday, Aug. 22 in the Lakenheath High School auditorium at 5 p.m.