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Carmel parents, community members and school district officials filled a room Wednesday evening at the Holiday Inn Indianapolis Carmel, 251 Pennsylvania Pkwy., Carmel, for a public meeting on the proposed Valor Classical Academy.
The purpose of the meeting was to collect valuable feedback on the establishment of the K-12 public charter school, which would use Hillsdale College’s Barney Charter School Initiative curriculum. Officials from Valor say the school would not have a religious affiliation, instead emphasizing core disciplines of math, science, history, and language arts, including phonics, writing, and literature. Music, visual arts, and foreign languages are also studied.
Valor Classical Academy wants to open its doors in August 2023 in the old Orchard Park Elementary building still currently owned by Carmel Clay Schools. Valor is asking Grace College, a Christian college in Winona Lake, Ind., to authorize the charter. As part of Indiana law, the college must gather data before a charter can open.
Valor is currently suing Carmel Clay Schools for the Orchard Park building, which is no longer being used for student instruction.
Per Indiana’s ‘$1 law,’ a school district must allow charter school organizers to buy or lease empty building for $1, but according to Carmel Clay Schools Superintendent Dr. Michael Beresford, his district is using the building for storage and community trainings for other organizations. He says the district has future plans for the building.
According to the Indiana Attorney General’s website, Carmel Clay Schools is not in violation of the law. The inspections of the buildings by the attorney general’s office came after someone filed a complaint.
Public comment on the new charter can be filled out online until the end of the business on Friday, Sept. 23.