OREM — A group of Alpine School District parents on Wednesday announced plans to file a lawsuit against the district, alleging it has pursued "unlawfully closing five elementary schools and changing the boundaries of many others."

The announcement comes less than 24 hours after the district voted during a board meeting Tuesday night to continue the process of proposed boundary adjustments and school closures, including potential closure of Valley View and Sharon elementary schools in the 2023-24 school year. The board also delayed the study of three other schools to the following year.

Parents voiced concerns Wednesday at a press conference held across the street from Windsor Elementary — a school that could be closed — claiming the district process doesn't follow the law.

"The parents' concerns focus on the district not following the spirit or the letter of Utah law for school closures and boundary changes, which requires parents and leaders of affected cities be given a 120-day notice to allow for a robust study and comment period," according to a statement from the group.

According to Utah code, parents of students enrolled in any affected school must be notified 120 days before that school is closed or its boundaries are changed.

"We feel that the board has not met the legal demands placed on them to continue with these school closures," said Crystal Muhlestein, a parent of students at Windsor Elementary School.

During the district's Nov. 29 board meeting, after a proposed $595 million bond for the district, the board requested a districtwide boundary study to explore possibilities around restructuring or consolidating boundaries and evaluating school buildings for potential closure, Alpine School District spokesman David Stephenson said.

In early December, the district sent a letter to parents notifying them that since the proposed bond failed, the district would be initiating a boundary study that could result in potential closures.

Related:

Alpine School District to explore closure of 2 schools, 3 others postponed

Citizens on Tuesday strongly urged the Alpine School District to reconsider its proposal to close five elementary schools due to seismic issues.

Stephenson said all buildings the district aimed to address through the bond funds are on the Utah K-12 Public Schools Unreinforced Masonry Inventory, making the buildings seismically unsafe in the event of what some experts say is a looming earthquake.

Lehi, Valley View, Lindon, Windsor and Sharon elementary schools made their way into the unreinforced masonry inventory and considered for closure, according to boundary report results.

The district then sent an email to parents and city mayors, councils and administrators on March 1, notifying them that the five elementary were being considered for closure and/or boundary adjustments.

Stephenson said the board should make its final decision on the fate of Valley View and Sharon elementary schools near the end of June.

"They need to restart this process with clear indications of their start dates and follow the law sufficiently to move forward with the current timeline and give the general public an idea of what we're working with. This process has been tainted thus far," Muhlestein said.

At both Tuesday's public hearing and Wednesday's press conference, parents voiced additional frustrations, saying they don't feel like the district has been listening to what they have to say.

Stephenson completely disagrees and said Tuesday's public hearing was the latest in a series of efforts by the district to give the public a chance to voice opinions and allow the district to compile input.

"The law only requires that we do two board meetings and one public hearing. We've actually gone out and we've completed six open houses and we've also received 1,430 electronic feedback comments," he said. "It's difficult for me to understand when someone says we haven't taken feedback."

Still, Muhlestein said she and others would like to see more direct communication from the district.

"It's been a real communication vacuum from the district since day one. They've only sent, I believe, two, maybe three emails this entire time," Muhlestein said.

Stephenson said feedback can still be provided through an online portal and at upcoming board meetings.

If the lawsuit — which the group said it expects to file by next week — is successful, the group hopes the district will restart the process of studying the potential closures.

"There may be boundary adjustments that are appropriate. There may even be closures that are appropriate to make," said Alicia Alba, a parent of students at Rocky Mountain Elementary. "However, the public needs to be included in that process, they need to include people who have that knowledge in that process before they make these closures."

Despite speculation and rumors within some groups, no final decision has been made regarding the closure of any of the five schools and that decision likely won't come until the end of June.

"A final decision on some or all of these proposals could be made in the coming months," Stephenson said in a statement.

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