A protest was held by about 100 parents and students against a proposal to open a school for Oxford’s low-income students. The protest came after The Charger, Oxford High School’s student newspaper published an article in Which Superintendent Brian Harvey stated that he had invited a Virginia education group to discuss the possibility for creating a school for students with low income who are eligible for free or reduced lunch. According to Harvey, the school’s goal would be closing the achievement gap within the district. Harvey explained to Mississippi Today that parents had the option of sending their children to the school. He said that it would be completely voluntary on Thursday evening. Representatives from An Achievable Dream Middle and High School, Newport, Va. presented to the Oxford school board in June explaining how they created a school for students with low income and how this has resulted in an increase in academic achievement. Harvey stated that district officials would be visiting the school in November but that no decision has been made. Harvey stated that “a decision has not been made to do this nor has it been made that it not be done that.” Harvey said that school officials had already visited Antioch High School, Nashville to see what they have done to improve its graduation rate to 77%. Jaquan Webb, a student at Oxford High School, attended the protest at middle school Thursday night. He believes that the creation of a separate school will have disproportionate impact on black students and those with low academic achievement. Webb stated that they are only banning certain people from the school to increase their (test) scores. Webb stated that the decision to open a new school would “affect everyone” and lead to racially-segregated schools. According to the Charger’s twitter, most protesters were gone by 7 p.m. but Oxford High School students had planned to meet before school on Friday morning. To support this work, you can make a regular donation to the Charger’s Spring Member Drive today. This will allow us to continue important work such as this one.