Roxbury Prep officials and students are pushing for passage of a proposed new high school that they say city officials aren’t giving the consideration it deserves.
“Why are we not in front of the BPDA right now?” founder Shradha Patel, standing with a small crowd of students, parents and teachers, said outside of City Hall right before a Boston Planning & Development Agency board meeting.
Roxbury Prep currently has two high school campuses — one in Mission Hill and the other in Jamaica Plain — with the student body split between them. The charter is seeking approval to combine them in a new 562-student high school at 361 Belgrade Ave. in Roslindale. The proposal remains outstanding with no vote scheduled.
The school noted letters of support from state Reps. Nika Elugardo and Russell Holmes and City Councilor Ricardo Arroyo. Some Roslindale residents feel differently and have submitted letters opposing the new school in the neighborhood.
The project remains under a normal review process, according to the BPDA. Director Brian Golden said in a statement that the planning agency continues to “work through the significant feedback we have received from the neighboring community on issues including traffic configuration and congestion and neighborhood context. We will continue to work alongside community members and local elected officials in an effort to resolve the ongoing concerns and support Roxbury Prep in finding a permanent home.”
