MAPLETON, Utah — Fall break brings an unusual hush over Mapleton’s neighborhoods that are tucked into the mountainside. The areas around Hobble Creek Elementary and Mapleton Junior High that normally bustle twice a day are empty.
But rumblings about a new charter school moving in along 1200 North — the same street that already holds both those existing schools — have led parents to voice their concerns.
“We came here because we love this community,” said Jen Sommerfeldt. “We love that it’s quiet. We love this school. It’s highly-rated.”
Jen Sommerfeldt has sent four kids to Hobble Creek Elementary and she sees how that quiet can turn into a mess at drop-off and pick-up times.
So when she says she got a letter last week from the city which read that the Louisa May Alcott Community School had plans to become a new neighbor, the list of issues quickly added up for her.
“It doesn’t make any sense to put another school right here,” Sommerfeldt said. “Add to the traffic. Add to the students coming in and out. There’s not enough students in this area of town to support another school.”
Sommerfeldt worries for the competition it could bring to her neighborhood school, which she says is already below capacity.
WATCH | Parents, school district raise concern over new Mapleton charter school location
For some, the concerns around safety are deeply personal.
“My 11-year-old brother was hit by a car crossing the street at a crosswalk — on the same street he would walk to and from school every single day,” said Jason Longhurst, another Mapleton local.
Jason Longhurst lost his brother Eric a decade ago in a crash in Orem, and he says a safer commute was part of why he moved here.
“To bring 528 additional children onto a street that already has two schools on it — I just don’t understand how that happens,” Longhurst said.
In a statement, the Nebo School District echoed those concerns over traffic and safety.
They said: “Our primary focus is the safety and well-being of our students. Having two elementary schools adjacent to each other raises significant traffic and safety concerns during peak drop-off and pick-up hours.”
The city of Mapleton tells FOX 13 News that while they want to carefully review the proposal, state law places significant limitations on their authority when it comes to charter schools.
The city says they are a permitted use in all municipal zones. While they can review standards like parking requirements and traffic circulation, they cannot deny a school simply because it will cause more congestion.
They’ve created a Q&A on the topic that you can read here.
Having just been notified last week of something that may open as soon as next year, these neighbors feel the school has left them in the dark.
“The lack of communication to us feels like…they’re not too worried about it,” said Kaylie Haueter, another concerned resident.
So they’ve started a petition in hopes of shining a light on the subject.
“If building a charter school across the street from an existing public school is what the law was intended to support — then the law needs to be changed,” said Longhurst.
FOX 13 News reached out to the school for comment on these concerns, but we have not yet heard back.