GCS chief confronted by angry parents’ questions Price reduction sought for Gordon Hardware building

 Guilford County Schools Superintendent Whitney Oakley tells Northern Guilford High School parents that safety is a top priority for the district.  Guilford County Schools security chief Mike Richey (at right) explains that technology is helping improve safety in the district as Northern Guilford High School parents, such as Andy Gaskins (to Richey’s left), expressed concerns about vaping and drug use by students.

In a meeting at Northern Guilford High School, GCS Superintendent Oakley addresses drugs, safety and discipline concerns

by CHRIS BURRITT

NORTHERN GREENSBORO – Guilford County Schools (GCS) Superintendent Whitney Oakley and the district’s security chief fielded questions from Northern Guilford High School parents upset about fights, vaping

by CHRIS BURRITT

SUMMERFIELD – Summerfield

Town Council plans to consider reducing the $125,000 asking price for the Gordon Hardware building at the request of the second bidder for the property.

The request tops the agenda for the council’s special called meeting at 6:30 p.m. next Monday, Feb. 20, at Summerfield Community Center. A presentation of the town’s audit for last fiscal year is also on the meeting agenda.

The council may also decide to seek requests for qualifications from engineering firms for the development of the southern section of the A&Y Greenway.

The council will consider whether to lower the asking price for the Gordon Hardware building after an initial bid for the circa 1870s building at 7722 Summerfield Road fell through, according to Cathleen Turner, regional director for Preservation North Carolina. The nonprofit is attempting to sell the Gordon Hardware building and the nearby historic Martin house for the town.

During 120 days of due diligence, the first prospective buyer of the Gordon Hardware building was unable to present a plan for providing septic services to the property, as well as enough parking to meet the town’s permitting and occupancy requirements, Turner said in an email last week. The bidder wanted to turn the two-story structure into “a brew pub” with food sales and room for gatherings, according to Town Manager Scott Whitaker.

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Can you provide an update on those schools?

It’s actually been almost a year since Revolution Academy’s board of directors authorized Principal Mary Catherine Sauer to proceed with her plan to try to find land for a new high school. Last May, National Heritage Academies won rezoning approval to build a high school on 37.2 acres on U.S. 220 North across from its Summerfield Charter Academy.

At that time, leaders of both organizations said families in their schools sought the construction of the high schools to accommodate their children when they entered the ninth grade. If plans had gone as officials envisioned, Revolution Academy’s high school could have started in a temporary location this coming August, while National Heritage Academies’ high school could open its doors in August 2024.

Last week, we reached out to officials of both schools for an update on their plans.

Michele Harris, who took over as Revolution Academy’s principal after Sauer’s departure last June, told us the academy’s board has reversed course and abandoned plans for a high school.

“After careful consideration and research on all possibilities, the board made a 5-0 decision at the December 2022 board meeting not to move forward with the Revolution Academy High School at this time,” Harris said in an email last week.

“While the board agrees that a Revolution Academy High School would be successful, now is not the right time to expand and the focus is on our current students’ success, personal growth, and academic development,” Harris said. “We are confident that when leaving Revolution Academy, our students will be successful in their future high school programs.”

Leah Nixon, a spokeswoman for National Heritage Academies, said in an email earlier this week that the Grand Rapids, Michigan-based charter school management company has “no new developments to share.”

Seven months ago, Nixon confirmed that timing for construction of the proposed high school in Summerfield was uncertain. She cited pandemic-related problems.

“While there are increasing costs due to inflation, a bigger challenge remains construction delays and supply chain issues,” Nixon said in an email last July. “Considering these factors, we do not have plans to open a high school immediately and will continue evaluating when the time is right.”

Angry Parents

...continued from p. 3 and marijuana smoking in the bathrooms and what they consider a lack of consequences for students breaking the rules.

“When is the school going to address the drug use?” asked Andy Gaskins, echoing other parents’ concerns during the Feb. 9 meeting at the high school.

He added that teachers are aware of smoking and selling of marijuana in bathrooms and described these incidents as occurring “almost every day.”

For starters, Oakley said school administrators need to make students feel comfortable reporting law breaking and violations of GCS policies.

“If we don’t know, we can’t administer the consequences,” she said. She added that district leaders, school staff members, law enforcement, parents and students “must all be at the table” to address the problems.

Oakley visited Northern Guilford after a group of parents had met in November to express their concerns about a ninth grader’s threat of violence against 13 other students in the school. A parent mentioned the incident during last week’s meeting, but it didn’t generate discussion or a response from Oakley.

Parents brought up some of the same concerns they had expressed during the November meeting. Some called for a policy of zero tolerance for student offenses, leading to disciplinary actions that would discourage students from misbehaving.

Parents also expressed concerns about the threat of more serious drugs, such as fentanyl, in schools. They recommended that teachers and the Guilford County sheriff’s deputy assigned as the school resource officer

(SRO) patrol hallways and bathrooms more often.

Improving technology in the district’s schools, including Northern Guilford, is aiding staff and SROs in monitoring students’ behavior, according to Mike Richey, the district’s assistant superintendent for school safety.

He noted that teachers are educators, not law enforcement officers.

The recent replacement of Northern Guilford’s camera servers is going to allow staff and the SRO to monitor the coming and going of students from bathrooms, Richey said. The improvements will allow staff to look for incidents in which students who enter don’t exit promptly and may be engaged in improper activities, he said.

The district is also exploring vaping detectors for schools, Richey said.

Since taking charge as GCS’ superintendent last September, Oakley has visited schools in what the district calls her “Better Together” tour. Last fall, she expanded the district’s school safety office in response to increasing school violence.

Districtwide, schools are reporting “more assaults, fighting, affray and aggressive behavior, as well as an increase in the number of out-of-school suspensions,” GCS said in a statement last November. The district’s data “is consistent with an increase in violent offenses in the county, state and nation.”

In response, Oakley has laid out a 12-point health and safety strategy for the district. Aside from updating the use of cameras in schools and on buses, the efforts span anti-bullying training for staff, increasing mental health support for students and staff and a pilot program exploring financial incentives for staff to attend athletic events.

Some Northern parents, such as Andy Gaskins, expressed frustration that such initiatives are taking too long to show up in the school.

“I just want to hear a concrete answer,” he told Oakley.

...continued from p. 1

„ The approval of a $422,500 contract for Oskaloosa, Iowa-based Musco Sports Lighting LLC for the design, layout and installation of lights at two multipurpose fields at Heritage Farm Park.

In total, approved spending for Heritage Farm Park totals $5.21 million. However, it does not cover the cost of playground equipment and, as recommended by consultant McGill Associates, the council set aside of $239,500 as a construction contingency and another $100,000 for possible rock excavation and unsuitable soil removal on the site.

Slated to start in the spring, construction of the 62-acre park is expected to take about 15 months.

During the Feb. 2 meeting, the council also voted unanimously to borrow $3 million from Truist Financial to help pay for the park development project. The 15-year loan charges an interest rate of 3.94%.

In addition, the town will spend $1.66 million in federal pandemic relief funds on the park, along with $490,000 from a North Carolina Parks and Recreation Trust Fund grant and $66,398 from the town’s reserves, according to a resolution passed by the council.

“It’s a big step,” Mayor Pro Tem Jim Kinneman said. “But it’s where we should be going. It’s defi nitely something the residents have clearly said they want.”

„ The approval of a contract with Guilford County for disbursement of $3.27 million toward Oak Ridge’s water system infrastructure: building a 250,000-gallon elevated water storage tank and partial construction of a water main connecting the tank to Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Utilities.

„ The approval of a second contract with Guilford County for $305,000 to be applied to the cost of renovating and expanding the Farmhouse Community Center in Town Park; the town plans to use the historic house as a community gathering place and to rent it out for parties and other events.

The council hasn’t committed to spending on either of the above two projects. As required by rules of American Rescue Plan Act funding, municipalities must encumber the money by

Dec. 31, 2024, and spend it by the end of 2026.

„ The council approved an agreement with the North Carolina Department of Transportation for the town’s $326,700 estimated share of N.C. 68/150 improvements, such as sidewalks, a retaining wall and fencing. Slated to start in September, the improvements are expected to take two years to complete.

“We approved proceeding with some significant projects,” Councilman Spencer Sullivan said at the end of the meeting. “It is the result of intentional long-term planning. This is a culmination of several years of hard work. It is something our citizens should be proud of.”

The grand opening of Summerfield’s new dog park is scheduled for Saturday, May 6, according to Jeff Goard, the town’s parks and recreation director. Workers recently installed the fence enclosing the park and poured the concrete pad where two gates – one for big dogs and the other for small ones – will provide access to the playgrounds. The park is located near the amphitheater in Summerfield Community Park on Centerfield Road, behind Summerfield Elementary School, and is accessible from a gravel drive off Medaris Street. In coming weeks, workers plan to run water lines to supply dog fountains, place benches and complete preparation for the grand opening

FACT: Approval of this Text Amendment creates an OSM-V district in the Town of Summerfieeld Unified Development Ordinance This zoning district would allow the Town to negotiate an acceptable Rezoning and detailed Development Agreement for the regulation of this world-class, once-in-alifetime opportunity

FACT: Villages of Summerfieeld Farms is proposing a variety of housing choices, from single-family to garden-style, multi-family homes. We believe it is important to offer housing options that are inclusive and welcoming for all who want to be a part of our community

FACT: Villages of Summerfield Farms will span 973 acres, of which 50% will remain as open space. The most valuable and beautiful rural vistas and long open spaces in the plan will be PERMANENTLY preserved for everyone to enjoy The plan will also provide a connection to a future section of the A&Y Greenway and to the planned Piedmont Greenway

FACT: Villages of Summerfield Farms will offer 11 distinct clustered villages, with walkability to local amenities that include a farm-to-table restaurant, small local coffee shops and boutique stores

Want connected walking trails, more places to gather, local shops, restaurants and cafes, more housing choices (yes, including some multi-family, garden-style apartment buildings), all while preserving Summerfield's sweeping vistas and rural character? Then please make your position known, either in person, online or in writing to your Town Council members.