By Diana McFarland

Managing editor

Carrollton Elementary School is closed to students living outside its zone for the upcoming school year, according to Isle of Wight County schools Superintendent Dr. Jim Thornton.

This year, every grade level is filled, said Thornton in a meeting Aug. 10 between the chair and vice chairpersons of the Board of Supervisors and School Board.

Students coming from the zone, however, must be accommodated, Thornton said.

That would include students from the new Eagle Harbor apartments and Benn’s Grant, he said. {mprestriction ids=”1,2,3,4,5,6″}

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However, some families have been inventive when it comes to qualifying for Carrollton, Thornton said, telling of one family who gave joint custody of their children to the grandparents so they would qualify.

Thornton said some solutions could be to rezone students, put up temporary classrooms, and in the future, build a new school in the northern end of the county.

Thornton is working with the two architectural firms hired recently to conduct a facilities and demographic study to see how far away the system is from the last option — building a new school.

The system also recently gave parents in a small area of the county the option of having their children attend Windsor schools rather than got to Windsor Elementary and then Smithfield Middle and High schools.

That has also provided some relief, Thornton said.

As for the creative parents trying to get their children in Carrollton but do not live in the zone, there is only so much that can be done to monitor those situations, he said.

It’s not possible to peep in windows, and Isle of Wight has had a past history of harassment, so the system doesn’t want to go down that route, Thornton said.

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Carrollton Elementary School has a capacity of 750 students. Last year there were 654-655 students enrolled in grades K-3, pre-K and special programs, according to school spokesperson Lynn Briggs.  {/mprestriction}

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