JASPER, Fla. — The future of Hamilton County’s schools was the main topic at Hamilton County’s Legislative Delegation hearing Tuesday.

With Senator Bill Montford (D-Tallahassee) and Representative Elizabeth Porter (R-Lake City) in attendance to hear the concerns of Hamilton County residents, a majority came to address the future of the school system.

Multiple teachers, along with Superintendent Rex Mitchell, spoke about their concerns and issues with House Bill 7069 as well as the new elementary school being issued North Hamilton Elementary’s number along with school grade and turnaround option plan.

Elizabeth Mitchell, a social worker at the school, asked about how the state board can just deny a TOP plan and take back a new school’s number a week before school starts.

“Our elementary school was awarded a new school number,” Mitchell said. “Then, they are told when the other schools in the state of Florida are starting school, they inform our superintendent that day, you can’t have that school number.

“That is not fair to our students. They are not that school, this is a completely different new school.

“If you walk in there is no North, South or Central school there. This is one Hamilton County Elementary School.”

Rex Mitchell told the legislators how the school district originally had two years to create a TOP plan for the high school, but then after House Bill 7069 passed, it needed a whole new plan.

“Just to show you how this works, while we were sitting here I just got a call from the DA about an issue that I was working on this afternoon,” he said. “It has become a full time thing and it’s about meeting requirements not about how is your reading or math scores getting better. I am moving teachers six weeks into the school year.”

An elementary school teacher, Emily Murphy, tearfully invited both Montford and Porter to come and see the children at school after she has had to explain the possibility that her children will not have the opportunity to go to school in Hamilton County like the rest of their family.

Annie Pinello, the guidance counselor at the high school, asked about what will happen to all the special needs students if the school becomes a charter school next year.

“The possibility of becoming a charter school, next year for us hits home for me,” Pinello said. “I have a son who is autistic, student with a disability. How does that not violate his right to a free and appropriate public education, if there is no public ninth grade for him to go to?

“He has rights, federal rights, to be educated.”

Porter asked where the school board heard about the charter school not taking the students of Hamilton County. Mitchell told her it is in the legislation for the Schools of Hope and it can not be ran by any elected officials.

“I think what we need to do is sit down with the board’s council and ask exactly how they are interpreting this,” Porter said. “I want to get it from someone who is an attorney, who can tell me this is how we are interpreting the law. That way we can know exactly what we are dealing with.”

Montford, who has a background in education, said he wants to help the rural districts of Florida. He mentioned how Hamilton is a part of 14 school districts that have joined the lawsuit.

Montford said that what the Hamilton County schools are facing are from years of past legislation that is unfair.

“We should not have any public schools, including charter school which are public schools, that can pick and choose who they want and withdraw those certain children who don’t meet certain standards,” Montford said.

Montford also told all of school district faculty, teachers and students hat were in attendance to go to the state school board meetings and defend their superintendent.