With Montgomery County schools back in session on Aug. 30, Blacksburg High School (BHS) and Blacksburg Middle School (BMS) students will face many challenges with the upcoming relocations.

On July 6, the school board decided that BMS students would move to the Old Christiansburg Middle School (OCMS) while BHS students would move to BMS.

This decision is a result of the Feb. 13 collapse of Blacksburg High School’s gymnasium roof, which happened due to the weight of snow on the roof combined with a weak weld holding together a truss seat, according to a final report from forensic engineers Forcon International.

The final decision of what to do with students for the 2010-2011 academic year by the school board was one of many presented to them, including grades eight through 12 using BMS and grades six and seven sharing Christiansburg Middle School (CMS) with the current students; grades eight through 12 using BMS and grades six and seven using OCMS; grades nine through 12 using OCMS while grades six through eight stay at BMS; and all grades using BMS with the assistance of trailers.

Phyllis Albritton, school board member for District A, and Wendell Jones, chair of the school board, said that came down to  safety, which was cited as one reason for not putting the students in trailers, and educational programming.

“Basically, looking at the overall program needs of both middle school and high school students, we decided that we would move the middle school kids and keep the high school kids in Blacksburg,” Jones said. “There are a lot of factors, but looking at the program needs, it’s pretty obvious to me what we needed to do. “

“The middle school has more facilities for high school classes, like for the vocational education programs, science labs, home economics, and these are kids who are going to be moving on to jobs and college, so I think the board felt that the high school students needed a facility that was more contemporary and more appropriate to their needs as they’re preparing for their next role in life,” Albritton said.

Albritton abstained from the vote because she said she felt that there were some options that were not properly discussed with the community.

Parents have expressed their concerns over the situation, and some are disappointed with the timeliness of the decision.

“When you get right down to it, there were no easy decisions in this situation,” said Andy Bowyer, who has a rising junior at BHS. “The entire question of what to do was hinging on so many unknown factors, including safety concerns, costs, logistics, the list goes on. However, I find it remarkable that the school board didn’t act with a greater sense of urgency once the structure fell. It seems that they were waiting for ‘final word’ on the structural integrity of the BHS building before making any decisions. I find it disappointing that it took so long for so many county employees, parents, and students to know what was going to happen.”

Jones said that a lack of information contributed to the delay of the decision.

“We did not fully understand the condition of BHS until after the fact,” Jones said. “It’s kind of like the more you dig into it, the more you turn up. Unfortunately time worked against us, but we’re going to get through it.”

Parents are also concerned about how the move is going to affect BMS students and teachers.

“The biggest concern I think is that some of the students will be in transport for a very long time,” Albritton said. “And the children are going from a wonderfully built school to an older school, and of course BMS was built to be a middle school.”

For some, the accomodations for students this year is not sitting well.

“After reading many blogs, news articles, and the subsequent responses to many of the articles, there is an undercurrent of resentment about the relocation to OCMS from many members of the community,” Bowyer said. “Many respondents claim to be teachers, and their comments are unflattering to say the least. It is my hope that if these people really are teachers, their resentment doesn’t manifest itself in the classroom and cause their students to feel an added level of stress. It’s up to the faculty and staff of the school to set a positive tone so the students will feel more at home.”

Opinions on what the best scenario are varied, but students, faculty, and parents are now busy preparing for the inevitability of the school year beginning.

“I’m glad that we’ll be able to use the middle school,” said Laureen Blakemore, whose daughter is a rising senior at BHS. “But I personally think that the middle school students shouldn’t have been moved and the high school students should have been the ones who had to travel, but either way it works itself out.”

Another major concern is what will happen after this year.

“I think the big concern with everyone is that there isn’t really any kind of solution for the future,” Blakemore said. “And it’s hard because we’re now a town that doesn’t have a high school, and it could be concerning to new families coming here.”

The school board has just recently started the debate on what to do in the future. Superintendent Brenda Blackburn has said it could take as long as Sept. 1 before a decision is made.

Although it’s not the preferred situation for anyone, those involved are still remaining positive.

“My daughter isn’t all too worried about it,” Blakemore said. “I think the kids will be OK. They’ll still have the same great teachers and the same teaching strategies. It’ll just take some time to get used to.”

“It certainly is difficult for anybody involved, and we’re trying to do what’s best for the students related to safety first and then instructional programs needs second,” Jones said. “I think the kids are far more resilient than we give them credit for, and I think they’re going to be fine.”

“We made a decision and now we move forward,” Albritton said. “I’ve been on many decision-making bodies and when the decision is made you pull together. The most important thing for a child’s education, to me, is the parents and the teachers, and we’re blessed with wonderful parents and wonderful teachers in our system. And I really believe that.”

Lindsey Macdonald is an intern for the New River Voice and a student at Virginia Tech.