UPDATE: Three schools in Walker County are in danger of closing. The Parrish Tornadoes may soon retire their jerseys if school board members decide to go forward with a suggestion to close the high school. Rumors of the closing started right after the state championship playoffs and since then, the Parrish Community has been on edge. Parrish needs a school. They dont need to do what theyre trying to do, Billy McDonald of Parrish said. Faye Wilson agrees, I dont think they should close it. Walker County Superintendent Dr. Jason Adkins has not returned any of our calls or emails. Board member Bill Gilbert says the board is looking at the possibility of closing the school, but at this point no decision has been made. Parents hope board members will vote ‘no. The kids and students are going to have to go somewhere else. I dont think the other schools are going to accept them, said Wilson. If they try to make Parrish kids go to Cordova its going to be a brawl every day. We need our school, said Sonia Bart. On top of a 30 year rivalry, parents are also concerned what the closure could mean for the community. Many watched when T.W. Martin closed its doors. Theres no town now, said Bart. A lot of times when schools back out of the community, its hard for other businesses to survive, said David Jones. This isnt the first time Parrish High has been at risk. They tried it about 15 years ago and people put a stop to it. They need to do it this time because Parrish needs a school, said McDonald. On April 3 the board will speak with representatives from all three schools before they make their decision. Gilbert said the other two schools being discussed are Sipsey Middle School and T.S
Posted on: Thu, 20 Mar 2014 15:26:45 +0000