By NEAL WAGNER / City Editor

Students who live outside Alabaster city limits and attend Alabaster schools will see no change for the 2013-2014 school year if the city splits from the Shelby County School System.

The announcement came at a Jan. 14 Alabaster Board of Education meeting, during which Alabaster Interim School Superintendent Dr. Phillip Hammonds said the Alabaster and Shelby County boards of education reached a temporary agreement on the matter.

Currently, some students who live outside Alabaster city limits are zoned for Alabaster schools. Hammonds said many parents have contacted him and Alabaster School Board members to ask if their children will still be able to attend Alabaster schools after the city separates from the Shelby County School System.

“The majority of the calls we get are ‘What is going to happen in this transition period,” Hammonds said.

Alabaster School Board members previously said they are working to finalize the split with Shelby County Schools before the start of the 2013-2014 school year.

Also as a result of the agreement, Alabaster students who attend the Linda Nolen Learning Center and the Shelby County School of Technology – both of which are Shelby County School System schools – will still be able to attend those schools for the 2013-2014 school year.

“While a more comprehensive plan is being developed, the boards have agreed that school assignments for Alabaster and county residents (including Alabaster residents attending the Linda Nolen Learning Center and the Shelby County School of Technology) will remain unchanged for the upcoming (2013-2014) school year,” Hammonds said, reading a statement prepared by the Alabaster and Shelby County school boards.

Hammonds called the move “a step forward,” and said it will provide “stability” for parents as the Alabaster and county school boards continue their separation negotiations.

Several parents in the capacity crowd of about 100 gathered for the meeting at the Alabaster Senior Center thanked the Alabaster School Board members for the move, and said they were uncertain where their children would attend school next year if they were not allowed to attend Alabaster schools.