The Johnston County Board of Education unanimously approved a high school redistricting plan Tuesday afternoon.

The district redrew the high school boundary lines because two new high schools will open next year: Cleveland High School in Clayton and Corinth Holders High School in Wendell.

Hundreds of students from West Johnston High School will move to Cleveland High, while hundreds from Clayton High, Smithfield-Selma High and North Johnston High will go to Corinth Holders High.

The approved plan includes a new grandfathering provision that will allow current seventh, eighth and ninth graders to go to the same high school as their siblings. Parents had complained that Superintendent Ed Croom's original proposal would have split families and communities.

"What the school board passed isn't exactly what the town of Clayton preferred. But we are extremely comfortable with what they have proposed and passed," said Clayton Mayor Jody McLeod. "We think it's a huge plus for the citizens of Clayton and Johnston County to have a grandfather clause enacted."

School officials also redrew some lines to keep some neighborhoods together.

They initially hoped to keep each high school at about 80 percent capacity.

But to make the changes possible, they are allowing schools to go over 80 percent. It means that some of the older schools, including North Johnston, Smithfield-Selma, and South Johnston, will be 95 or 100 percent full. And the new schools will have fewer students.

"I felt like that we had come to a map that reflected the concerns that were expressed to us both by municipalities, parents, and communities that did not want to be split up," said Larry Strickland, the board chairman.

The district hopes it will not have to build any other high schools for at least ten years.

Click here to see the new high school district boundaries.