UNIONTOWN, Pa. — Parents in the Uniontown Area School District plan on fighting the potential closure of Franklin Elementary School.
They say they’re prepared to take legal action if the school is shuttered.
“We still don’t have any answers. We are three weeks away from a vote. We don’t have any financial savings that would come with the school’s closure. We don’t have answers to the real questions we have,” parent Cody Martin said.
He said parents have almost 1,000 signatures in support of taking legal action if the school is closed.
“There’s been almost no pushback,” Martin said. “When we go to houses, parents, everybody is in support of keeping that school open.”
The petition states that taxpayers would, “petition The Fayette County Court of Common Pleas and The Pennsylvania Department of Education to redistrict Franklin Township into a closer bordering school district.”
“It shows that we as a community have options, aside from just letting them do whatever they want,” parent Colby Springer said. “We can fight back, and we intend to do that.”
If Franklin Elementary School is closed, the students would move to Menallen Elementary School, putting the school at 101% capacity according to a partial feasibility study done in December of 2025.
“Over capacity, safety issues, travel issues…there’s just so many things wrapped up into it and at the sake of what? To save a couple bucks in the grand scheme of things,” Martin said.
Springer said parents are working overtime to save the school because of the impact it’s had on the kids.
“It’s amazing to see how much a school can have an impact on her and the teachers there,” said Springer. “Words can’t describe it.”
Channel 11 reached out to members of the board, but has not heard back. Martin said families plan on wearing red and presenting the board with the petition in hopes of changing their minds ahead of the official vote.
The final vote on Franklin Elementary is set for March 23.
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