KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A neighborhood group is trying to reopen a school t hat was closed as part of the Kansas City School District’s right sizing program. The Friends of Hale Cook held a meeting on Wednesday night.
They’re sharing their plans with the public to reopen the school. Instead of putting ideas on paper, parents and community members used plastic blocks and replicas to show the campus they’d want to see if the school reopens.
The group has a grant from the Chamber of Commerce to build something called an edible forest on school grounds. The edible forest of fruit and nut trees will be planted even if the school doesn’t open. The group says the KCMO School District has been very helpful and supportive but members say getting the school reopened will really depend on community support.
“There is an interest in it,” said Ashley Hand with Friends of Hale Cook. “there is a desire to make this work so ultimately I think it is really about putting the numbers together to show that.”
Kansas City Mayor Sly James attended the meeting and said he supports the efforts of this group. Friends of Hale Cook will do a feasibility study to determine if there’s neighborhood interest in reopening the school. The group plans to submit that to the the superintendent in November.
