MEMPHIS, Tenn. — An angry crowd laid into Shelby County Schools Monday night, furious the district may close their schools next fall.

Superintendent Dorsey Hopson wants to move Lincoln Elementary student to A.B. Hill Elementary and South Side Middle students to Riverview, which is a K-8 school. He said consolidation means students will get a better education and more opportunity to succeed.

The SCS board held a meeting at South Side Middle Monday to hear their opinions.

Things got so tense in the meeting, at one point, students left in tears.

Everyone is passionate about the schools, but Hopson said the district doesn’t have the resources to give the schools what they need, and if they don’t do something, the state will.

“Every person here is supporting this school, and the audacity of you to think you can take that away from the students,” yelled one South Side Middle student at the meeting.

She and many others begged the board to save their schools.

Hopson said he is doing just that.

He said Lincoln Elementary and South Side Middle have low attendance, and test scores are not any better.

“I would rather us move these kids to iZone,” said Hopson.

Both A.B. Hill and Riverview will be iZone schools next year, and Hopson said that means, students will have access to the best teachers and principals, get an extra hour of learning each day, and receive extensive literacy and science programs.

WREG is told the district will work out transportation, and overcrowding shouldn’t be an issue.

The crowd, however, wasn’t having it, and said they can improve the schools on their own.

“I don’t believe this is the only option,” said one parent.

Hopson said South Side Middle wouldn’t be empty if students left. There is charter school operating in it now, and will continue to be there.

Some people at the meeting were concerned about safety saying there were rival gangs in the middle schools. The district said they would increase safety measures like more resource officers, metal detectors, and diversion programs like SHAPE.

The board will not vote on the proposal until March, and if they decide to go ahead with it, that’s when teachers and administrators can reapply for their jobs.

There will be one more community meeting at Lincoln Elementary Thursday at 5:30 p.m.