STUDENT PERMITS

Trouble is brewing in Bellflower where some parents of elementary school students “are fuming” over the news--delivered via the grapevine--that the school board has revoked out-of-district permits for the coming academic year.

Affected parents and local day-care providers facing possible losses are organizing and plan to address Thursday’s meeting of the Bellflower school board.

“It’s devastating for the children to be told, ‘Get out of here and go to your own school.’ Many of the out-of-district schools don’t have day-care facilities so lots of parents are going to have to quit their jobs and lots of kids are going to become latchkey kids,” said Lakewood resident Martha Margeson, whose two children attend Stephen Foster Elementary School.

Sheila Brown, of Mothers at Work Day Care Center, said half of the school-age children cared for by the facility before and after school have out-of-district permits.

“If this happens, we’ll have to lay off a couple of people, most definitely,” she said.

The school board voted March 14 to revoke all kindergarten through sixth-grade permits from other school districts, leaving in place those granted to 83 students whose parents work within the Bellflower district. Anticipating a 7% rise in enrollment, the district next year will not accept any new work-related permits, said spokeswoman Terry McAlpine.

“The reason is space--we need the space to meet our expected growth,” she said. “Right now we are at maximum capacity and we need to do some things to accommodate the influx of students.”