By EMELINE HAWKINS

For the Northwest News

HUNTERTOWN — When your school district is busting at the seams, a decision has to be made to make sure there’s enough room for future student enrollment.

That’s what happened Feb. 27 at the Northwest Allen County Schools board meeting, when board members announced the district will build a third middle school.

NACS Superintendent Wayne Barker described it as the “most cost-effective, best long-term” option, after being presented with other options such as updating current middle schools or building an intermediate school.

“There will be more details to come once a location has been determined,” Barker said.

Board members also voted to work with Elevatus Architecture for a potential new central office. Before any contracts are signed, project hearings will be held, according to the meeting agenda.

While it wasn’t the board meeting’s main topic, parents and students also addressed the recent cancellation of the spring play “Marian: The True Tale of Robin Hood” at Carroll High School.

Twenty-nine people signed up to speak for the public comment section of the meeting.

Some parents spoke in favor of the cancellation, stating it would have forced the idea of same-sex relationships onto students. Other parents spoke against the cancellation, emphasizing not everyone would be represented in the community as a result.

“To hear that that was canceled that Friday morning when the cast list was supposed to be posted that night or Monday morning was really disheartening,” Carroll High School student Marissa Carroll said.

The play includes characters in same-sex relationships as well as non-binary characters, content which some parents felt was inappropriate.

“We’re supposed to be a community,” Carroll said. “That’s NACS’ entire thing, is that we’re a community that helps people and makes everybody feel that we have a safe space and that was kind of disregarded.”

According to Barker, the play was canceled by the school due to issues it created among students.

The board also accepted a donation of $1,500 from the Carroll High School PTO to be used for professional needs.