More defense for Hampton Park

Dear Editor,

As a Hampton Park resident, I would like to inform Mike Yeatts [letters to the editor, Apr. 2] from Midlothian that residents from my neighborhood fully understand what makes a good school. Hampton Park has an abundance of involved parents that work with their children and know that the teachers from all area schools care about their students and work to help them learn. He obviously missed the meeting where we clearly said that it wasn't about attending a new school, but establishing feeder patterns.

What is superficial about Mr. Yeatts' comments is that when one does a quick Internet search for his address and utilizes the county school look-up feature provided on [its] Web site, I found the attendance zones for his street (Gordon [Elementary], Midlothian Middle, Monacan [High]). What I learned from his neighbors during the committee process was that Gordon Elementary parents are adamantly opposed to attending Providence Middle School. In fact, 200 students from the Midlothian Middle attendance zone were moved to Tomahawk Creek so his area wouldn't have to attend Providence Middle.

It would appear that his surrounding communities don't share his belief that the parents and teachers are what make a school great. If they did, his neighbors wouldn't be supporting school board members that make decisions to keep Providence Middle under capacity by 200 seats while spending millions in taxpayer money to create additional seats at Robious and Midlothian Middle. Instead, he would advocate moving kids to Providence Middle School. After all, Mr. Yeatts, "It's not the bricks and mortar, but the parents and teachers that make every school successful," right?

Shelly Schuetz

Hampton Park