10:02 AM EST on Thursday, February 17, 2005

By MARK BOONE / 6NEWS

HUNTERSVILLE — A movement to allow North Mecklenburg towns to take control of suburban schools from the Charlotte-Mecklenburg school district is gaining momentum, a group of parents and students said.

The group, based out of Hopewell High School in Huntersville, has launched an effort to petition the state legislature for clearance to form their own school district. CMS leaders have ignored their concerns about overcrowding and safety, the parents said.

Hopewell is a 4-year-old school with 2,200 students. Just across town at North Mecklenburg High, 3,000 students are expected next year, creating the largest public school in the state.

"We didn't expect the overcrowding, the trailers in the back, the violence and the lockdowns," said Lisa Blackmon, who moved to the area three years ago from Shelby. She hoped that Hopewell High would be a better school for her teenage daughter.

Blackmon's daughter, who asked that her name be withheld, said she has been threatened by other students and is scared for her safety while at school.

"When you move to an area, you should be comfortable with your kids going to school and not feel threatened for their lives," Blackmon said.

Another frustrated parent has launched the Web site DumpCMS.com, calling for a secession from the district. The page designer claims more than 3,000 people visit the site every day.

School board member Larry Gauvreau supports the parents who want a separate school district, but the measure requires approval from state lawmakers.

"Breaking up this school board's monopoly is a good thing," he said. "It is a nest of mediocrity and the public is the only one that is going to bring that before the Legislature."

At least one state lawmaker is already calling the separate school district a bad idea. Sen. Malcolm Graham of Mecklenburg County told <i>The Charlotte Observer</i> that he will not support the plan.

CMS officials refused to comment on the movement, but a spokesperson said the district is working on addressing the concerns of the North Mecklenburg parents.

The Huntersville parents will host a meeting at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday at the Hopewell Presbyterian Church to discuss the plan.