SEGS Academy leader, parents react to closing

DELCO, NC (WWAY) — SEGS Academy in Delco will close this week. That comes after the State Board of Charter Schools recommended to the State Board of Education that SEGS’ charter be revoked. On Monday the school presented their appeal to the Board of Education’s decision to begin the revocation process.

The State Board will be discussing the appeal today. No word yet on these new developments will affect the boards discussion.

According to parents and staff the school will have its last day of class this Thursday.

“Today has probably been the worst day of my entire education career,” school leader Annemarie Johnson said. “The fact that our board decided to revoke our charter just floored us all. It really caught us by surprise.”

School pathologist Stephanie Miller-Cook says the board is to blame for the downfall of the school.

“We tried to get the word out there and flood social media when we thought we had a chance to get new board members in and save our school,” Miller-Cook said. “And when we realized we weren’t going to be able to save it in time and then the existing board was continuing to ignore, we realized that the only thing to do for the kids was to support the closing of the school.”

Parents say that there has been a lack of communication between SEGS administration and them and their students.

“It’s kind of hard and shocking to find out that the school teachers and the principal were not supportive of us keeping the school open,” parent Coretta Pellom said.

Columbus County Superintendent Alan Faulk said that SEGS students who live in Columbus County will be eligible to return to Columbus County school’s starting on the Monday after spring break. Columbus County spring break is next week.