Peter Case attended Gwinnett County’s Simpson Elementary growing up. He liked it so much that he and his wife moved into Peachtree Corners so their four sons could attend the school.
One of their sons is 5 and in preschool this year, not kindergarten, where most children his age are enrolled. He has an August birthday, meaning he would be among the younger kids in a kindergarten class.
“He needed extra time,” Case explained.
The district recently announced it would crack down on a state law that requires kindergarten students to be 5 years old by Sept. 1 to enroll and first graders to be 6 years old by the same date. The decision has created some tumult in Gwinnett, Georgia’s largest school district.
The Cases are worried Gwinnett’s decision could mean their youngest is thrust into a class he’s not ready for.
“Essentially, as it stands, he would have to enroll in … first grade next year,” Case said.
A state lawmaker from Gwinnett is trying to address the problem. Rep. Scott Hilton, R-Peachtree Corners, wants to let parents decide when their child can start kindergarten, which could allow a delay in enrollment, a practice called “redshirting.” Hilton, who redshirted two of his three children, introduced legislation Tuesday, after hearing from hundreds of Gwinnett parents.
Credit: Photo contributed by the candidate
Credit: Photo contributed by the candidate
“(The bill) essentially says … you get to decide in that first year of enrollment, whether (your child goes) to kindergarten or first grade,” Hilton said in a phone interview.
A misalignment
Many Gwinnett parents have said they’ve had the option to redshirt their child in the past, meaning if they felt the child wasn’t ready for kindergarten, the child could attend pre-kindergarten for another year and begin kindergarten at age 6.
Academic redshirting goes back decades. Research shows between 3% and 6% of children nationwide are redshirted. Some parents believe it can help their child academically. Studies show redshirting can give students an academic boost in elementary school, but that advantage is modest and can taper off by middle school. Experts note redshirted students often come from affluent families who can afford to send their children to an extra year of preschool.
Many school districts in other parts of the country, such as New York City and Washington, D.C., have laws against redshirting. Parents say Georgia’s law has been unevenly applied for years.
During a community meeting at Simpson Elementary last week, Principal Taffeta Connery admitted the law has been inconsistently enforced, including at her school.
“I fully acknowledge my role in that misalignment, and I understand why there might be some confusion and frustration for families,” she said. “So tonight, it’s all about transparency, accountability and moving forward together for clarity.”
Gwinnett interim Superintendent Al Taylor also apologized for confusion about the district’s decision to tighten its oversight.
“I have been raised in the philosophy that you give credit and take blame,” he said. “So for those who have experienced any level of discomfort or confusion, it goes squarely on my shoulders.”
Credit: Olivia Bowdoin
Credit: Olivia Bowdoin
Taylor said officials are cracking down on redshirting in part because of money.
“Kindergarten, because it’s not mandatory … we actually earn less funding for it,” he said.
So, if students don’t attend kindergarten when they’re eligible at 5 years old, the district doesn’t receive state funding for those students.
“By practice, 5-year-olds have been aligned to kindergarten,” Taylor said. “First grade is (aligned with age) 6. You’ll find that pretty consistently across the state.”
To allay fears, Taylor assured parents there’s an option for those who don’t think their 5-year-olds are ready for kindergarten: They can request a meeting for grade level consideration. The process is basically an accelerated Student Support Team meeting, where a team of people — usually the child’s teacher, a parent, and at least one administrator — meet to decide what kind of support the student needs. In this case, the team would decide if a student needs an extra year of pre-K or kindergarten.
“This has been a practice that has existed in the district for many years,” Taylor said. “We’ll get students with little or no previous schooling, and we gather a group of individuals who care about this kid to figure out what the best placement is for this kid.”
The tension and hand-wringing over the issue may end up being irrelevant if Hilton’s bill becomes law. The measure would apply to all public school districts in the state, he said. If it gets across Gov. Brian Kemp’s desk, Gwinnett’s enforcement plans would be null and void.
That’s one reason why the district hasn’t announced plans to grandfather in children like Case’s son, Taylor said.
“This could be completely upended in a couple of months, and I wouldn’t want to have promised something that might have influenced the decision (parents make) before we knew exactly what was going to be expected of us,” Taylor said.
Taylor said the other reason the district isn’t prepared to exempt some families from the current law is the district doesn’t keep records of which families have decided to redshirt their kids.
Still, some parents were confused by the timing of the issue.
Credit: Olivia Bowdoin
Credit: Olivia Bowdoin
Carter Long wanted to send her 4-year-old son to an extra year of preschool next year, but may have to enroll him in kindergarten if Gwinnett enforces the law. Long’s also concerned that the district may not be able to spread the word to parents whose oldest children are enrolled in private preschools this year.
“Parents don’t want to gamble on their child’s education and … there’s all these things that are in limbo, including this revised SST process and the upcoming legislation,” she said.
“Why not just pump the brakes and do it maybe even next year or the following year?” she continued. “It doesn’t make sense why they are causing this problem for themselves.”
Because kindergarten registration opens March 16, Lisa Norton decided not to send her son to kindergarten in Gwinnett next year. He’s repeating pre-K at a private school this year and Norton is keeping him there for kindergarten because of the tighter enforcement.
“We would rather go ahead and introduce him to the Gwinnett County system, developing friends, getting used to the curriculum, getting used to just taking the bus, and everything with school that he’s now not going to be able to experience,” she said.
The Norton’s redshirted one of their daughters who has a summer birthday.
“I have never regretted that decision, from a social standpoint, from an education standpoint,” she said. “I feel like parents know their kids. They know what’s going to be best for them.”
The school district posted information on its website Monday about the “updated grade level consideration process” for families with 6-year-old children who are new to the school system and want to enroll their children in kindergarten. The notice doesn’t explain specifics of the plan, but says the district will issue details in early March.
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