PGCPS Superintendent recommends keeping elementary school open

Ya-Marie Sesay
·2 min read

BOWIE, Md. (DC News Now) — It’s been a long fight for some parents in Prince George’s County as they pushed to keep the doors of Pointer Ridge Elementary School open. Now, the superintendent has made a recommendation to do just that.

“So we all feel a sense of relief. It was exciting news,” said Stephanie Jones, a parent and the secretary for Pointer Ridge Elementary School’s Parent Teacher Association (PTA).

Jones and many other parents have been fighting to keep the elementary school open for months.

“We were in a position of not knowing where our children will attend school next year. Will it still be Pointer Ridge or will we explore other educational options for our students?” she said.

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The elementary school was supposed to close at the end of last school year due to low student population. The former Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS) Superintendent decided to push it back to 2024. As new leadership came in, parents continued to fight the decision in hopes of changing their minds to keep the school open.

Many parents say the population of students would increase with several new townhome developments coming to the area, and if Pointer Ridge closes, that would cause overcrowding at the other schools.

They held rallies, voiced their concerns at meetings and continued to speak out against the decision. Ultimately the new superintendent Millard House II is now recommending the decision to close down the school be reversed.

He wants to keep the school open and add an autism program that would serve 40 new students, which would help increase the school’s population. The PTA has already begun planning how to welcome the new students coming next school year.

“We welcome the new families of the 40 students in this program who also want to become a part of the Pointer Ridge family,” she said.

The decision is not final yet, the Board of Education still has to vote on the recommendation in January. Many parents remain confident the final decision will be in their favor.

“We’re hoping and trusting and praying that they will support his recommendation and that this decision will be final,” Jones said.

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