The Mt. Jewett Charter School Coalition is planning to make its presence felt Thursday at a meeting of the Kane School Board.

The meeting at 7:30 p.m. at the Middle School auditorium is open to the public.

Skye Ognen, president of the group, said the coalition has been busy "recruiting people" to speak at the school board meeting.

A coalition flyer has been distributed to shoppers at businesses in Mt. Jewett and notices have been placed on vehicles in the borough.

"We need to have bodies," Ognen said in reference to the group's plans to have its supporters attend the school board meeting and speak. She is appealing to Mt. Jewett residents to attend the board meeting "whether you have children or not."

According to the coalition flyer, "we need at least 100 people to attend this meeting and for each person to speak and tell the school board that we want our school back."

The coalition plans to give its supporters a "handout" to read at the school board meeting. "Or you can speak from your heart," the coalition said in its flyer.

"We need to make our presence known and fight for our school," the coalition said in its notice. "It is time for Mt. Jewett to stand up and fight and take back what should be ours."

The coalition is planning to open a charter school in Mt. Jewett in another year. The site for the school still has not been finalized.

The coalition had hoped the school district would allow the charter school to operate at the Mt. Jewett Elementary School, which was closed after classes ended in June. However, the school district thus far has declined to permit the coalition to use the building for its proposed charter school.

"We want the school board to know how important our school is to us," Ognen said in reference to the plans to bring more than 100 coalition supporters to Thursday's school board meeting.

 The coalition has conducted several fund-raisers. Most of the funds raised will be needed for legal expenses linked with the process of filing its charter school application with the state Department of Education.

When school begins in three weeks, all Mt. Jewett students will be attending classes in Kane. Children who attended second, third and fourth grade in Mt. Jewett last year will be transferred to the Chestnut Street Elementary School in Kane. Children in fifth grade at Mt. Jewett last year will be headed to the Kane Middle School along with last year's fifth-graders from the Chestnut Street school.

The Mt. Jewett school did not have kindergarten or first grade classes last year due to low numbers.