December 1, 2016
By JAMES EVANS
Rutherford County Schools
MURFREESBORO — Rocky Fork Middle School will serve approximately 700 students when the school opens in August, based on the zone lines the Rutherford County Board of Education has now adopted.
The new school zone will pull from the existing zones of Rock Springs Middle School, Smyrna Middle School and Stewarts Creek Middle School, all of which are currently at-capacity. The purpose of the new school is to relief the overcrowding at those schools.
The Board has held multiple televised meetings and three public hearings in the community during the past two months to gather input from parents about the proposed zone lines.
Rocky Fork Middle School is under construction on Rocky Fork Road, not far from where the road crosses Interstate 24 in Smyrna. On the same campus, the Board also plans to open a new elementary school — Rocky Fork Elementary School — in August 2018.
As part of the rezoning plan, the School Board also approve a grandfather option for some students who are affected by the new zone.
Rezoned students currently in sixth or seventh grade may elect a grandfather option to remain at their 2016-2017 school for the remainder of their middle school years via the zone exemption process. As with all zone exemptions, parents must provide transportation for their students if they opt for the grandfather option. There would be no sibling option available for those grandfathered students.
Parents can download a copy of the approved zoning option at the link below.