OVERTON, Texas — Just weeks before school starts, parents from an East Texas district worried about which school their kids would go to after Leverett's Chapel ISD's superintendent submitted his resignation.
"We had some, some issues with the vision of the school,” said Superintendent Matt Everett.
Parents said the ripple effect of his announcement had teachers ready to leave with him.
Rising seniors in the district Makinsey Blanton and Dylan Harris were scared their last year of high school would be chaos.
“I've been here my whole life and all my friends go here," Harris said. "If it does shut down, we're gonna get split up.”
During Friday’s school board meeting, the community wasn’t willing to let the superintendent go and pleaded with him to stay.
Everett had a change of heart.
“I am rescinding my resignation," Everett said. "The support from the community and from the staff from the school really touched my heart.”
Blanton said Everett staying is a crisis averted but there’s still at least one more - the state of the school board. Two members haven’t been showing up to meetings.
“It shows how much the school actually means to them," Blanton said.
“I just think it's immature that you don't show up," Harris said. "It's a big thing. It's a bunch of kids lives you're affecting, parents’ lives, teachers, staff, and you're not going to show up.”
Everett knows about these concerns but said the board’s hands are tied.
“For school policy's concern, we don't have as a school district that kind of power to remove members," Everett said.
The board does have the power to bring on a new member in the fall. Anyone interested in serving can pick up an application starting July 25, at the central business office.
Leverett's Chapel ISD's doors will open for students on Aug. 15.