LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WHAS11)- Jefferson County Public School students go back to class Monday, but one family who just moved here says their child isn't going to school and it's all because of the controversial student assignment plan.
While Ben Jackey, with JCPS, tells WHAS11 the district has been able to meet the need of parents in more than 50 percent of school transfers this year, the case of the family WHAS11 talked to today has yet to be resolved. Until it is, a young boy’s dad is threatening to hold him out of school.
Justin Martak, 6, is ready to make new friends and he has all the school supplies he needs.
Whether or not he gets the chance to use them for his first day of first grade at Portland Elementary will be up to his parents, who are not happy with the school Justin’s been assigned.
"I feel it's that unsafe. I'd rather not put my child at risk. I'd rather deal with truancy and the courts than deal with unsafe conditions for my child," said Justin’s dad, Charles Martak.
Charles Martak is serious about keeping Justin out of school. His wife Tina worries the youngster could get lost in the shuffle being bused from Prospect to Portland.
"It’s a great school. Great teachers, but if he gets lost, you'll never see him again. I can't handle that. It's terrifying for me," said Tina Martak.
The Martak family moved to Louisville in late March from Sumpter, S.C., missing the elementary school enrollment period. When they enrolled Justin in late June, they hoped he would go to Wilder or Dunn Elementary, not their fourth choice, Portland.
"We have 100,000 students and we're trying to assign them to more than 130 schools. We certainly understand parents might not get the school they like on the first try,” said Jackey.
Jackey wants parents who aren't happy with their assigned schools to follow the procedures in place to possibly get things changed.
"We're sitting here on August 10 and the student assignment process is still a fluid one because you have students who still may have to move to another part of the city, students moving out of the district, so there are openings today that weren’t available yesterday," said Jackey.
Without a resolution in their favor, the Martak's say they will move.
"The goal is to hold out this year. Somehow, either through truancy, courts, whatever I’ve got to do just to make it through so I can move to Indiana where my child can at least get an education," said Charles Martak.
With a transfer request filed and a hearing set for August 22, the Martak's hope they will get the switch they feel is best for Justin.
