JPS approves consolidation of two Jackson middle schools for remainder of school year

JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) - The Jackson Public School District Board of Trustees approved a recommendation to temporarily consolidate two Jackson middle schools for the remainder of the 2023-24 school year.

JPS released a statement reading that Whitten Middle School and Peeples Middle School will consolidate beginning Monday, September 18.

According to JPS, the decision was made for the following reasons:

Equitable Staffing: There is a need to redistribute staff in a more equitable manner. This is due to a loss of teachers at Peeples Middle School, as a result of the testing irregularities investigation to ensure equitable staffing at both schools.
Facility Challenges: Another factor contributing to the consolidation is ongoing construction, restroom renovations, and HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning) challenges at Whitten Middle School. These facility issues make it difficult for scholars to have a conducive learning environment, necessitating the move to a more suitable location.
Building Space Efficiency: There is more efficient available building space at Peeples Middle School, which has a capacity of 650 scholars. With a total combined enrollment of 543 students for both schools, consolidating them at Peeples Middle School will make better use of available facilities.

This comes after “personnel actions” were taken against 43 JPS staff members following testing irregularities.

JPS hosted a meeting with the respective school staff members of the two middle schools on Wednesday.

A meeting with families of scholars for Whitten and Peeples middle schools is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. on September 11, 2023, at Peeples located at 2940 Belvedere Drive.

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