Fairview Heights residents’ petition to detach from East St. Louis school district dismissed

BELLEVILLE, Il. (KMOV) - St. Clair County school officials dismissed a petition detaching part of a Fairview Heights neighborhood from the East St. Louis School district.

On Thursday, the Regional Board of School Trustees of St. Clair County Thursday granted a motion to dismiss a petition from a group of residents in Fairview Heights who want to detach from East St. Louis School District No. 189 and annex into Grant Community Consolidated School District 110 and Belleville Township High School District 201.

An organization called Detach 189 filed a petition with the St. Clair County Regional Office of Education to have part of the French Village area of Fairview Heights detached from East St. Louis School District No. 189.

The organization has made attempts before over roughly the last two decades. Detach 189 co-founder Kevin Sheridan told First Alert 4 the organization was almost successful in years prior, but the East St. Louis school district filed an appeal in court and won.

Sheridan cited dysfunction, low test scores and violence as the reasons residents want to leave District 189.

The Regional Board of School Trustees dismissed the petition because Detach 189 didn’t gather enough valid signatures.

There are two options now for Detach 189: the organization can file an appeal, or it can file a new petition.

“If they had had a hearing on the petition and a decision had been rendered, then they would have to wait two more years to do so, but since the hearing never recurred on the petition and it was a motion to dismissal--it was a hearing on the motion--they can petition again at will,” said Dr. Mark Eichenlaub, regional superintendent of schools for St. Clair County Regional Office No. 50.

The co-founder of Detach 189 told First Alert 4 the organization is still weighing what to do next.

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