Tina Benedetto said that it breaks her heart that her daughter, Diana, a fifth grader at Jacob Gunther Elementary School, may not graduate with the class that she has been with since kindergarten.
"My child could be robbed of that," Benedetto said.
Benedetto and about 100 parents and students held a rally against the possible closing of the school on Tuesday. Protesters walked a mile around the community with signs and chanted, "Save our school!"
"We are here to support the school, the teachers and especially the children," Benedetto said. "We feel the district has not turned over every stone. We don't approve of any school closure."
On Nov. 16, the Committee to Explore Educational Options, a group comprised of parents, teachers and employees of all six schools in the district, voted to close Gunther. Twelve out of the 21 members found that closing Gunther would be the best option.
In October, Superintendent Arnold Goldstein said that the district needs to cut $1.8 million in costs and that enrollment has decreased since the 2004-05 school year. School officials said that the district could save money by closing one school and keeping kindergarten through sixth grade at each campus.
Liz Asta's two children, Leo and Zoey, attend Gunther. She said that the possibility of the school closing upsets her.
"I don't want my school to close," she said. "I feel it's a drastic decision and it is not necessary. I think it will be embarrassing to this community. Kids that go here can walk to school and now they are going to have to travel somewhere else."
Benedetto said it will be difficult to talk to her youngest daughter, Victoria, a Gunther first grader, about the shuttering of the school if it does close.
"This is hard to explain to a 6-year-old," she said.
The Board of Education will have a public meeting on Tuesday at Martin Avenue Elementary School at 8 p.m. The board said that they plan to announce which school will close at the meeting.
