Orange County NC Website
George McFarley said that it is School and Community Relations and they did not look at <br />moving the house and placing it in the place of the athletic fields. He said that the intent with <br />the tennis courts was making facilities available to the public. Tennis courts are an issue in the <br />County and they saw a collaboration opportunity. He also said that at no time is there any intent <br />to intermingle students from Stanback with the students from the alternative school. He clarified <br />that the full expansion of the alternative school is for 100 students. He made reference to the <br />type of students that would be attending and said that a lot of people think that these are bad <br />children or juvenile delinquents and that the next step will be jail. He said that it is very far from <br />this. He said that there are students that learn better in anon-traditional environment, and they <br />are finding that there is not enough space to meet the needs of all children. There will be same <br />students with disciplinary issues in the traditional classrooms, but there will also be an <br />opportunity to meet needs of students that do not learn as well in an 18-20-person classroom. <br />Chair Jacobs asked how closely tied is phase 1 to phase 2. George McFarley said that <br />there is no plan to expand this facility within the next five to ten years. <br />Commissioner Gordon asked about the environmental assessment an the 1.4 acres and <br />that it does not relate to the whole site, but the County Commissioners are still being asked to <br />approve the entire tract. Robert Davis said that under the County Environmental Impact <br />Ordinance, there is an environmental assessment and then the environmental impact <br />statement, which is required if a finding is made of significant impact. This is 40,000 square feet <br />of disturbed area. If it did not reach the 40,000 square foot level, then there would not be a <br />requirement for the EIS. <br />Chair Jacobs said that it could be added as a condition of approval. <br />David Logan asked if there would be an environmental assessment prior to phase 2 <br />being approved and if there would be a public hearing. <br />Tom Clark said that Dr. McFarley indicated that there would be no intermingling of <br />students. He said that his mother-in-law was told last week that everybody would use the <br />softball field but today Dr. McFarley told him that only Stanback would use the softball field. He <br />also understands that the tennis courts would be shared by the public, the alternative students, <br />and the Stanback students. He does not see how you can share the same facilities and not <br />have intermingling concerns. <br />Commissioner Gordon said that she is struck that most of the public's concern has to do <br />with the processor impact on surrounding property. <br />John Link asked George McFarley to elaborate on the types of students that would go to <br />the alternative school, because it sounded like some of the students would be the same that <br />would go to the middle college. He asked for a delineation between these two types of <br />students. <br />David Hunt swore in Dr. Shirley Carraway, Superintendent, Orange County Schools. <br />Shirley Carraway said that their first priority is to have a location for their alternative <br />students. The addition of the athletic facilities was provided in an effort to meet some of the <br />needs relating to the public being able to have access to athletic facilities. This is not the school <br />board's first priority. The softball field was something that had been talked about with some of <br />the Stanback parents in years past. She said that they still have a commitment to ensure that <br />the students at the alternative site will not at any time interact with the students at Stanback. <br />Regarding the type of student, the school proper would serve students as an alternative to long- <br />term suspension. The two areas of students that it has not been able to serve because of <br />limited space has been the students who need an alternative setting and students coming out of <br />facilities (group homes, etc.} and transitioning into the public school. This is very different from <br />middle college, which is designed for students that want to move faster than the normal school. <br />