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Parents and teachers are rallying against a proposal to change Langley Park-McCormick Elementary School into a middle school, citing the school's high performance and what they call its positive role in a community plagued by gangs and poverty.

About 100 people attended a public hearing on the plan held Tuesday night at Northwestern High School in Hyattsville.

The move is among a boundary change proposal by Prince George's County Public Schools Superintendent William Hite Jr. that, if approved by the county school board, would also create a kindergarten through eighth-grade school at Buck Lodge Middle School. The changes would go into effect next school year.

According to the proposal, the change would alleviate overcrowding at Calverton Elementary School and allow Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School in Beltsville to complete its already approved transition to a sixth- through eighth-grade school.

Under the proposal, current Langley Park-McCormick students would be moved to Adelphi Elementary and Cool Spring Elementary in Adelphi.

Hite said the review is meant to address schools whose enrollment is severely over or under state-rated school capacity levels, and to increase access to special programs. This is the second phase in the school system's boundary review. During last year's phase, the school system created three K-8 schools.

At Tuesday's meeting, the majority of speakers spoke against the change at Langley Park-McCormick Elementary, a school where 90.4 percent of students qualify for free or reduced lunches.

The school has made state-mandated testing benchmarks since 2006. In 2009, nearly 75 percent of students scored proficient in math and 79 percent scored proficient in reading, up from 46.4 in reading and 40.6 in math in 2005. The school has 459 students and is at 89 percent capacity.

"As far as I see it, we're where we need to be," said Langley Park-McCormick Elementary parent Terri Bates of Langley Park. "I love our staff, and I love our principal. I feel if you did this move, it would be inconvenient for the parents because they don't have transportation."

Parent Tilda Marquez of Langley Park said in Spanish that "the community is accustomed to the school" and she feels comfort knowing her daughter is only a few blocks away from home.

School employee and parent Enma Arguera said that throughout the years, the school has been integral in establishing communication between the parents, community and the school system.

"They know they can come to the school if they ever need help," she said. "Please don't take away what the school has created for the community, that communication."

The Langley Park area is known to be a hot spot for crime and gang activity, said Langley Park-McCormick Elementary teacher Caryl Ashrey, but she added that the area around the school has been a haven for many community members and children.

"I'm afraid to see what would happen if we [change] this positive school in this particular situation into a middle school where we know there is a gang problem," she said. "This is a very precarious community. It's not just about schools and moving bodies from one place to another."

After the hearing, Hite said he was pleased that so many parents attended and provided details on how the proposed changes would affect their communities.

"We did anticipate a response. We didn't anticipate such a strong response because many of the kids would remain in the area," he said. "This is a proposal, and part of the process is allowing parents to provide input."

School board Vice Chairman Ron Watson (At-large) said he wants the board to have a work session before they vote on the plan in December.

"Change is always hard, but this is something we have to do. The state has told us to do this," Watson said.

The next public hearing on the plan will be at 6:30 p.m. Dec. 1 at Frederick Douglass High School, 8000 Croom Road, Upper Marlboro.

E-mail Elahe Izadi at eizadi@gazette.net.