Our family was shocked to hear that the Boulder Valley School District (BVSD) voted to deny Ascent Classical Academy Flatirons, a classical public charter school, which has over 625 students on its “intent to enroll” list.
We are a family whose children attend Ascent’s flagship and sister school, Golden View Classical Academy (GVCA) in Golden, CO. We have been part of this school since its inception in 2015. We absolutely LOVE this school because it offers a traditional, classical style of teaching that cultivates curious, thinking minds and moral character. Our children have excelled in all subjects; in particular, both children have an impressive vocabulary and are excellent in reading and spelling. I attribute this to the school’s Riggs program and phonics-based spelling system. We are also grateful for the teachers and staff who always do an outstanding job of making us feel welcome and assured that our children are receiving the best education in an inclusive and diverse environment at GVCA.
I am an immigrant myself and have experienced discrimination first hand at the public schools I attended as a youth. This is a subject that is very close to my heart and I have no doubt ACAF, very much like its sister schools across the country including GVCA, will be accepting of families from all backgrounds, ethnicities, religions, and socio economic status. In fact, I read that ACAF has even committed to running a weighted lottery for “free and reduced lunch” population. Are there any other charter schools in BVSD who are doing that?
It is my hope that there will be more schools like GVCA in Colorado so that the hundreds of families that have already expressed their desire for this learning environment for their children, will be able to do so.
We encourage the Colorado State Board of Education directors to vote in favor of ACAF at the state board appeal, because it is a proven school model that works well for all students, regardless of background or learning ability. I can personally verify that the statements from those who oppose ACAF regarding discrimination or religious teachings are completely false. Every single family at GVCA would share that their experiences have always been that of a positive, welcoming, and diverse school community.
Thuy