The Kenosha Unified School Board Monday night unanimously approved new high school boundaries in order to accommodate a new comprehensive high school at Indian Trail Academy.

The board favored an option, known as “J/H,” recommended by the district’s administration that took into account safety issues, capacity and enrollment.

The new boundaries are the result of more than six months of study by a committee that looked at dozens of redistricting options.

Many board members said they favored J/H based on the number of students projected to attend each of the three comprehensive high schools.

Under the approved plan, Bradford would be at 85 percent enrollment with 1,700 students, Tremper at 91 percent with 1,997 students and Indian Trail at 80 percent enrollment with a combined student population of 2,001.

The committee narrowed the choices to two options, giving the highest rating to one plan, known as “J1,” that offered the closest ethnic and racial diversity balance. That plan, however, gave way to J/H, a hybrid of J1 and another highly-rated option, to accommodate parents’ concerns about transportation and safety.

Parents whose children attend Lance Middle School, notably in the area bound by 75th Street, Cooper Road, 85th Street and Green Bay Road, earlier argued against J1, which would have directed students to Indian Trail.

Many said they preferred to see their children remain with their middle school classmates and cited safety issues, especially for children who would walk to school and would have to use Cooper Road.

“We made the change for J/H after having heard from many parents who spoke on the safety issue presented,” said Superintendent Joe Mangi.

Under J/H, Bradford would get all Bullen and Washington middle school students. A small number of Mahone Middle School students who live east of Green Bay Road and north of 49th and 50th Streets and some McKinley Middle School students who live to the east of 45th Avenue and north of 60th Street would also attend Bradford.

But some who live in the affected area and whose children attend Mahone objected to their children attending Bradford instead of Indian Trail, also because of transportation and safety reasons.

Most of the eight people who spoke Monday night said they were not being treated fairly. Kathryn Woods said she objected to J/H mainly because her son would be separated from his friends at Mahone.

She said she felt the option was allowed to slide under the table and that parents weren’t heard.

“I don’t think our voices have really been taken seriously,” she said.

Andrew Woods said he wanted to go to Indian Trail with the friends he has made at Mahone over the years, and he doesn’t want to go to Bradford.

Board member Carl Bryan said capacity and enrollment were among his top priorities in arriving at a decision. Having been a high school student not long ago, Bryan said he remembers students having difficulty just moving around. Bryan attended Bradford.

“(Students) will meet knew people and make new friends,” he said.

He said attending a new school is part of life and “growing up.”

Board member Mary Snyder said while redistricting is never easy, by balancing enrollment among three high schools, there is a better opportunity for students to take advantage of open enrollment than before.

Board member Gilbert Ostman said often boundary changes are more difficult for parents than for their children. He said he believed that under the new boundaries, students at each of the schools would receive equitable treatment.

Board president Pam Stevens said she appreciated Andrew Wood’s statement and that the board wasn’t trying to separate him from his friends.

“I don’t think what everybody is saying to you is to forget your friends ... because you’ll never forget your friends,” she said. “In the long run you can be richer for it. You’re not going to lose your friends after a few weeks. You’ll have even more friends”

Stevens encouraged him to give her feedback after a few weeks at his new high school next school year whether good or bad.