Caught in the middle: Glades County School district may move 6th graders

MOORE HAVEN, Fla. — Glades County School District is considering moving sixth-grade students from Moore Haven Middle-High School to Moore Haven Elementary School.

Superintendent Dr. Beth Barfield plans to recommend the change to the school board, citing significant maturity differences between 11-year-old sixth graders and 18-year-old high school seniors who currently share the middle-high school campus.

Glades County considers moving 6th graders from middle-high school to elementary

"We want to try to keep them as young as we can for as long as we can, because there's really no race to be a grown-up," Dr. Barfield said.

Sixth-grade teacher Kristen Walker supports the potential move, emphasizing the importance of age-appropriate environments for young students.

"We don't want students exposed to things beyond their age level, beyond what would be appropriate before they're cognitively ready for that," Walker said.

Walker working — Moore Haven sixth-grade teacher Kristin Walker said giving sixth-grade students more time to mature before attending the same school as seniors could help them in the long run.

Parent Antonio Lara, whose seventh grader attends Moore Haven Middle-High School, agrees with the proposed change.

"Just to hear the grown kids talk and then these young kids listening to that - it would be misleading for the little ones," he said.

The district is working with the Florida High School Athletic Association to determine whether sixth graders could still participate in sports at the middle-high school if moved to the elementary campus. However, Dr. Barfield said coaches view this as an opportunity rather than a setback.

The district said it built the new Moore Haven Elementary School with extra rooms in case sixth grade is moved to the campus.

"We think it's not going to be a bad thing if they cannot participate," she said. "This is coming from the coaches of the different sports - it gives more foundational playing time so that maybe our 4th, 5th, and 6th graders can also be on their own team and compete."

Dr. Barfield said she is making the recommendation next Thursday, and if the school board approves it, the change would take effect this fall.

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