We were extremely disappointed to learn that the Boulder Valley School District board of education voted to deny Ascent Classical Academy Flatirons’ (ACAF) application.  Our family simply cannot understand it.

We have 2 children who currently attend ACAF’s sister school, Golden View Classical Academy (GVCA) and have been there since the school’s inception. We’d like to tell people what GVCA has meant to our family.

As a parent who was willing to sleep on the sidewalk overnight to ensure my child would be able to attend the local school near our home, I fully understand the importance of desiring a school that provides a quality education and experience. This local school that is a mile from our home is a highly rated public school in our local district. However, I had deep concerns about the lack of diversity and about the school’s public announcement that it would embrace common core. We quickly began a search for a new school at the end of the summer in 2015, and by providence we heard about GVCA.

The decision to enroll our children in GVCA has been the best one I have made in my entire life, besides losing the argument with my wife to have kids at all.  Our children thrive in the school environment, their minds have become more enriched with a well-rounded education in history, arts, sciences, and math. We are excited about this school because it offers a traditional, classical style of teaching that cultivates curious, thinking minds and moral character. 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 educational experience.

I understand there are plenty of people who may not wish to send their children to a school like ACAF, but it should not prevent families like ours who do wish to send their children to a school there. The families who attend either GVCA or Ascent Classical Academy of Douglas County can all attest that the schools are accepting of all races, religions, and backgrounds. These school communities are made up of families and students who are accepting, helpful and respectful of one another.

It is my hope that there will be more schools like these classical schools in Colorado so that more families can benefit from a similar school culture and community that we have been so fortunate to be a part of.

Raiford