Fairchild Magnet School Attendance Details Murky

Parents of incoming high school freshmen bound for the Fairchild-Wheeler Interdistrict Magnet School are worried that their children may not be able to take part in extracurricular activities at Trumbull High School.

They voiced their concerns at Tuesday's Board of Education meeting.

Parent John Mahoney said children should not be penalized for attending the magnet high school, adding that his daughter wants to join the award-winning Trumbull High School Marching Band.

A 14-year-old student should not have decide between going to the magnet school and taking extracurricular activities at THS, another parent said.

Parent Monica Welch said she was optimistic the board would work out the issue, echoing a statement from school board Chairman Stephen Wright.

"I can assure we will do what is best for the children," Wright said.

A meeting on the matter will be held Thursday at the Aquaculture School, 60 St. Stephens Rd, Bridgeport, on Thursday at 4 p.m. for parents from southern Connecticut pondering whether to send their child to the magnet school.

The green school has three separate science magnets and serves a total of 1,500 high school students from numerous Fairfield County cities and towns, mostly from Bridgeport. Trumbull has 44 seats.

Trumbull Schools Supt. Ralph Iassogna said at issue is a class that THS freshmen take that conflicts with the new school's schedule. But that class is not mandatory, he added.

Many details of the school, such as the starting time, have yet to be determined, but those things will be worked out over time, Iassogna said.