‘What are those children going to do now? Those children are going to have to travel further. How are they going to pay if they don’t have money for gas?’

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — The Corpus Christi American Federation of Teachers is speaking out after the Corpus Christi Independent School District voted to move forward with a consolidation plan that will close seven campuses.

RELATED: CCISD votes to close all 7 campuses up for consolidation

The decision was confirmed Monday during a school board meeting, months after the district first proposed the plan and held a series of public input meetings with parents and families.

Beginning in August, students at four elementary schools and three middle schools will be rezoned to other campuses. The affected elementary schools are Kostoryz, Sanders, Fannin and Travis. The middle schools include Tom Browne, Haas and Martin.

Dr. Nancy Vera, president of the Corpus Christi American Federation of Teachers, said she was outraged by the district’s decision and believes families were not a priority.

“What are those children going to do now?” Vera said. “Those children are going to have to travel further. How are they going to pay if they don’t have money for gas?”

Vera said the closures raise serious concerns for families without reliable transportation, particularly those with special needs students.

“What’s going to happen if there is a special needs student and the parents don’t have a car?” she said. “They are not going to be able to take care of their children. It is scary for them.”

She said the consolidation plan places students and families behind other considerations.

“Once again, we are putting children and families in the back of the line instead of putting them at the front,” Vera said.

Vera said the union is now working on a plan to help parents and students impacted by the changes, as well as educators who may be affected by the transition.

The consolidation plan approved by the Corpus Christi Independent School District is scheduled to take effect at the start of the next school year.