Many Orange High School parents might breathe a sigh of relief after the Orange County Board of Education decided Tuesday night to investigate other sites for an alternative school program for struggling students.
An existing program in the area, Night Panther, runs from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., but the state mandates an alternative school program that operates during normal school hours.
Many parents who spoke at an information session before the meeting said the school system definitely needs an alternative school but do not want it placed at Orange High School.
"I don't think (the alternative students) need to be in the same setting as my children," said resident Kara McAdams.
The board placated these parents in its motion to continue the search for a suitable place, said board member Keith Cook, who was the lone dissenter in the 6-1 vote.
The board's decision calls for reconvening the alternative school committee, which will include parents and community representatives; locating alternative site plans; and opening a dialogue for collaboration with Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools and the Orange County Board of Commissioners.
Cook said the motion only put off making a tough decision and that the board needs to serve these problem students as soon as it can. "We know that there are children in our district that we are not educating," Cook said. "If you want to do something for those children, just do it."
The board will not have any funding for the program for at least another four years, and the county's Economic Development Commission did not pass a district tax that could have funded a location for the program.
Cook said renovations for use of the basement at Orange High School would have been a temporary and fiscally responsible solution, only costing $50,000.
