Fort Bend Independent School District is asking parents, staff and community members to weigh in on proposed attendance boundary changes as part of its Long-Range Boundary Planning process.
The district released an online feedback survey on Wednesday, allowing stakeholders to review and comment on draft boundary scenarios for elementary schools, including potential campus closures, as well as the attendance boundary for the new Amy Coleman Middle School, which is set to open in the future.
District officials say the planning effort is aimed at balancing enrollment, making responsible use of facilities and developing long-term solutions that best support students and families.
“We know these conversations can be emotional because our schools are more than just buildings, they are places where relationships are built, traditions are formed, and children grow,” said Beth Martinez, Fort Bend ISD deputy superintendent and chief of staff. “That is why it is so important for us to listen. Every piece of feedback helps inform decisions that honor our community while ensuring we can serve students well, both today and for generations to come.”
Parents say the district is doing the right thing by asking for feedback — but many still have questions, including why their child’s school is on the list and whether these decisions are already leaning in one direction.
“I really hope that they don’t close the school,” parent Cathy Hernandez said.
Cathy Hernandez has a son who attends Austin Parkway Elementary — one of seven schools listed in the district’s long-range boundary survey as possibly closing.
“Very distressing. My son literally prays every single night for God not to close his school. So as a parent, it’s really hard to hear your son say things like that,” she said.
The survey walks families through specific closure and rezoning scenarios and uses an interactive map showing where students would attend school if the changes move forward.
Parents are asked to rank which district priorities should guide decisions and explain what support they would need if changes happen.
It also asks Which district priorities should guide decisions and What help families would need if changes happen.
“Safe walking distance is important to us because our son is definitely gonna have to walk to elementary due to my husband and I working,” Hernandez said.
“Some of the questions feel a little disturbing, a little like this is more of a done deal than they’ve made it sound like. And so I am a little concerned about that. Maybe an example of one of the questions, something that... Yeah, it was like, what support would you need in this transition? I’m like, that’s a great question, but to me, that’s a question that comes after a decision has been made,” Convington said.
Lisa Covington’s children attend Sugar Mill Elementary — another school listed for possible closure. She says she wishes the survey allowed for more open-ended responses instead of mostly multiple-choice questions.
“I have a lot of questions about the data that they’re using to make this decision and how they arrived at this data,” she said.
Covington worries about how a closure could affect her family’s daily routine.
She says her children currently walk to Sugar Mill, something that could change under a new boundary plan.
“So this will for sure impact our morning commutes. We have concerns about the traffic implications of the new school. Also, all of the schools that Sugar Mill would then be zoned to are all B-rated schools, whereas Sugar Mill is an A-rated school. And so that feels a little backwards to take the A-rated school and to split it up against the lower-rated schools. But this would add a good 15 to 20 minutes to our morning commutes,” she said.
The survey is open now through 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 25.
All Fort Bend ISD staff members and the primary parent or guardian listed in Skyward will receive an email link to the survey from the district’s Organizational Development Department. Other community members can access the survey through the district’s website.
District leaders emphasized that while draft plans have already been presented to the Fort Bend ISD Board of Trustees, no final decisions have been made, and community feedback remains a critical part of the process.
More information and access to the survey can be found at fortbendisd.com/attendanceboundaries.