Officials at Oxford schools say that there will not be a new school or building to serve low-income students or those with low performance in order to close the achievement gap. After The Charger, Oxford High School newspaper reported that the superintendent was considering the idea, a group of Oxford parents and students gathered at Oxford Middle School on Thursday night. A protest was organized by some members of the community who were concerned that a new school might segregate students based on race. Superintendent Brian Harvey says that the achievement gap between students in Oxford and the rest of the state is the largest. Half of all students are eligible for free or reduced lunch. Friday morning, the district issued the following statement: “Closing student achievement gaps is a major issue that the Oxford school District has had on its radar since years. School officials started exploring ways to close the district’s achievement gap. The Oxford School District is currently looking into several options to close the student achievement gap. However, officials say that opening or building a school for Oxford students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunches or are low-achieving is not something they are considering. Harvey said that officials would be visiting Virginia in November to see An Achievable dream Academy. This school, which is a partnership between the public schools district and businesses, includes a 4-week intersession, extended school days, and accelerated math classes. It also offers mandatory etiquette classes. Tennis lessons are required for all students. The school has achieved good results with 95 percent of its graduates going on to college, and students scoring the same or better as other public school students in state exams. On Friday, the Oxford Board of Trustees called a special meeting where all who were present could voice their concerns and make public comments. A statement was also approved by the board, apologizing for its mistakes and clarifying its intentions. The statement stated that the district does not plan to create a separate school for students with special needs. “We won’t tolerate segregation based on socioeconomic status or raciality.” School board members stated that they invited the Urban Learning and Leadership Center to present their programs in various states. The statement stated that one of their successes was a Virginia school where students from low socioeconomic backgrounds have the option to attend a separate school. This school is intended to offer support that is not available in other schools. “… But again, we don’t have plans to create a school. We will only move forward with the involvement of the Oxford community.” Oxford school officials are also looking into the AVID (Advanced Via Individual Determination). Oxford school officials visited a Nashville school recently to see the AVID program in action. AVID trains educators in proven methods to prepare students for success in high schools, college and a career, particularly students who are traditionally underrepresented in higher education,” said the district. The statement continued to state that the district would continue to investigate options to close the achievement gap._x000D