District Attendance Lines

• The initial purchase of land for the schools was made in 2017, with an additional acquisition in 2019.
• At the time of purchase, the land was zoned for light industrial use, which included schools.
• In 2020, York County began working on revisions to the zoning codes.
• In early 2022, York County announced its revised zoning codes, removing schools from areas zoned as light industrial.
• In late 2022, The district was denied the option to grandfather the land under the old zoning code for school use.
• In early 2023, the district applied for and was granted a zoning change for the property.
• Construction of Flint Hill Elementary School began in Fall 2023, fully funded by Impact Fees.
• The community approved a Bond Referendum in March 2024.
• Construction of Flint Hill Middle School began in Summer 2024, funded by both Impact Fees and bonds.

Update 10/30: At a Special Called Fort Mill School Board Meeting held October 29, the District Administration provided updates to the recommendation for the elementary and middle school attendance lines. The presentation included several changes at the elementary and middle school level based on feedback provided by the community and district staff. The updated maps can be found using the interactive or downloadable PDFs maps.

Please submit feedback to communications@fortmillschools.org.

You can view the October 29, Special Called School Board Meeting on Youtube.

Update 10/15: The district has completed the first round of community feedback and, along with other key data, has developed its official recommendation for the new attendance lines. This recommendation was shared at the October 15 School Board meeting. You can view the proposed attendance lines through our interactive map or download the PDF for more detailed information. The district is now in the process or collecting additional feedback on the new recommendation.

Please submit feedback to communications@fortmillschools.org.

You can view the October 15, School Board Meeting on Youtube.

To populate the new schools and relieve overcrowding at existing ones, the district has begun the process of establishing new elementary and middle school attendance lines. The primary goal is to alleviate overcrowding while allowing room for future growth across the district. The following criteria are considered:

• Efficient use of capacity in all affected schools
• Maintaining continuity of neighborhoods
• Impact of transportation and pedestrian patterns on students
• Minimizing the number of times, a student is reassigned
• Long-term enrollment trends and future capital plans
• Continuity of feeder patterns and school boundaries
• Use of geographic features such as roads, railroads, and highways

The district has partnered with Cropper GIS, a consulting firm with over 25 years of experience in GIS mapping and analysis, to provide impartial recommendations for the new attendance lines. These recommendations were presented at the October 1, 2024, school board meeting.

Parents and community members can view their proposed school based on their address by using the interactive map:

Click here to view the interactive map.

Click here to view a pdf of the maps.

• October 1, 2024: School Board Meeting – Presentation of the Consultant’s Recommendation
• October 2-14, 2024: Community Feedback and District Evaluation of Consultant’s Recommendation
• October 15, 2024: School Board Meeting – Presentation of the District’s Recommendation
• October 16 - November 4, 2024: Community Feedback on the District’s Recommendation
• November 5, 2024: School Board Meeting – Consideration of Approval for the District’s Recommendation
• August 4, 2025: Flint Hill Elementary School opens, and students begin attending based on the approved elementary school attendance lines.
• August 2026: Flint Hill Middle School opens, and students begin attending based on the approved middle school attendance lines.

We value your input. Please submit feedback to communications@fortmillschools.org following the timeline listed above.

Update:

We understand that changes to attendance lines can bring about feelings of uncertainty and stress for our families and the broader community. We recognize that the situation regarding the planned location of the SILFAB Solar facility has added additional concerns for some. Our goal with this message is to provide clear and updated information on how these developments impact our emergency planning and the district's role in this process.

As we’ve shared before, the district does not have authority over the zoning or land use approval process. These responsibilities fall to York County. Additionally, regulatory oversight regarding the safety of the site lies with state and federal agencies, including the Department of Environmental Services (DES) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The district depends on these agencies to ensure community safety, as they are the experts in this area.

We’ve been actively seeking information on the safety plans for the site to inform our emergency planning efforts. Recently, we were informed that the emergency response plans for SILFAB, which are required to be approved by the EPA, had been submitted. On Tuesday, district officials met with representatives from York County Emergency Management, Flint Hill Fire Department, and SILFAB to discuss these plans. We learned that the EPA has approved the submitted emergency response plans, which have been provided to York County Emergency Management.

As discussed at the recent school board meeting, these plans outline how to respond to incidents at the facility. It’s important to note that the approved plans do not mandate evacuation zones that include our school sites. However, first responders have the option to recommend evacuations if necessary, depending on their assessment of any given situation. All of our schools have emergency evacuation and reunification plans in place to address a variety of scenarios.

As always, the safety and security of our students and staff remain our top priority, and we will continue to work diligently to ensure our schools are prepared for any situation.

Previous Information:

We are aware that several legal proceedings are currently underway that could potentially impact future plans at a neighboring site. However, according to the state and federal regulatory agencies responsible for community health and safety, the nearby SILFAB site will be required to meet all health and safety guidelines for operation. These agencies establish operational standards and will monitor compliance to ensure there is minimal to no risk to our community.

Emergency planning is a routine practice for all school districts across the state. We are currently awaiting finalized emergency response plans from York County, which must first receive approval from the EPA. It is our understanding that these plans must be approved and submitted to the county before any chemicals can be present on the SILFAB site. Once these plans are submitted, the district will assess whether any additional site-specific safety measures are needed. This process aligns with the district’s established protocols for addressing unique safety concerns, such as the Catawba Nuclear site and natural disasters. Similar site-specific safety considerations were addressed during the openings of Nation Ford High School, due to its proximity to a nearby rail line, and Banks Trail Middle School, because of the neighboring U.S. Foods facility.

Once the district has received the finalized plans and the legal matters are resolved, we can share any additional information necessary to ensure transparency and safety.