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Board OKs selling land for park use, amends athletic eligibility policy
CMSD NEWS BUREAU
10/28/2021
CMSD will sell a former school site in the Hough neighborhood to the Western Reserve Land Conservancy, which plans to convert the property into a park.
The Board of Education agreed Tuesday to sell the site of the former John W. Raper School to the nonprofit conservancy for $50,000.
The property is between East 85th and East 86th streets, adjacent the city’s Thurgood Marshall Recreation Center. The conservancy is seeking a state grant to convert the property into a neighborhood park.
The school closed in 2010. The parcel was among 19 surplus District properties that were made available earlier this year.
The board also voted to require that students have at least a 1.0 grade average to participate in interscholastic athletics, lowered from the 2.0 in effect before the pandemic.
The Ohio High School Athletic Association requires only that high school students be passing five 1-credit courses that count toward graduation.
Desiree Powell, District director of interscholastic athletics, noted that under the old policy, students could leave the District and compete for schools with lower requirements.
“Our revised policy can change the trajectory of a student,” she said. “It allows them to keep playing while we nurture their academic growth.”