Monday morning students at Calhoun Falls High School peacefully walked out of class with the support of the community and school administrators. Students protested Friday's School Board decision to shut down the school because of declining enrollment, finances and equal opportunity for all students.
Although it's called Calhoun Falls High School, it's made up of grades seven through twelve. All 237 students were involved in the protest with the backing of Principal Tommy Hollingsworth. Hollingsworth said the students planned the protest on their own over the weekend. "A lot of times we forget about the kids and a decision like this and they wanted to be heard. You know, they are very hurt right now, they are very proud of their school. They don't want to lose it. They want to graduate from here, so they were very organized,” says Hollingsworth. Student Catherine Evans said, “We've already had our crying spells today and it's really sad that we having to close down our school, which is not fair to us."
Abbeville County School Superintendent Dr. Ivan Randolph told News Channel 7 he understands the students’ concerns, but he says the difficult decision has been made and is final.
Calhoun Falls High school will shut down at the end of the school year, and the students will be reassigned to the county's two other high schools and middle schools.
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