Parents are being left in the dark regarding the impending closure of Mountain Education’s (ME) Fannin campus.
The news of the closure came from Fannin County School System Superintendent Shannon Dillard late last month.
ME is a program allowing students ages 16 to 21 to obtain a high school diploma in a non-traditional capacity. ME used to be referred to as Mountain Education Charter High School and Mountain Education High School, and is commonly referred to as the night school.
Erin Arp, parent of a ME student, said she chose ME as an alternative to Fannin County High School (FCHS) as it “had
a problem with fight clubs in the bathrooms, bullying and vaping” on top of not enough personnel to monitor children.
When her son had attended FCHS, she recalled seeing “a change in his behavior,” prompting her to pull him out of the district.
Jackie Self, another parent of a ME student, said her son “does not fit into the traditional school model,” and has been attending ME instead since ninth grade. He is on track to graduate a year early and is an A/B student, Self said.
Additionally, by attending school in the evening both of those boys have gotten day jobs.
Self’s son is an assistant manager at a local car wash, working 35 to 40 hours a week. This has allowed him to buy a new truck.
Arp’s son works at Fannin County Animal Control where he had previously volunteered.
Arp’s son is now in his final year and taking a dual enrollment course, but with threat of the closure they are unsure of what’s next.
Arp said the school is “not communicating very well,” and with additional concerns about her son’s dual enrollment course, she said Dr. Paige Swartz, ME’s director of student engagement and retention, did assure her that the school offers an online option and will honor his dual enrollment.
However, Swartz was unable to answer Arp’s questions about the campus closing, Arp said.
For Self’s son, she said online is not an option, and he will likely have to travel to the Union campus. She said he enjoys getting to work face-to-face with teachers.
While ME has campuses in Gilmer and Union counties, Arp said she does not want to send him somewhere “out of the county.”
Self said news of ME closing brings the potential of increased high-school dropouts.
According to their website, ME transitioned from a charter high school to “a state completion specialty school” in 2023.
Arp noted that she was never informed of the transition from a charter high school as her son is in his third year at ME.
ME has been running out of Fannin County High School, and a Memorandum of Understanding with the Fannin County Board of Education was just renewed in July, effective that day and through June 2026.
In order to terminate the agreement, a 30-days notice is required, and termination is allowed in the event of state or federal law changes requiring a termination, mutual agreement or breach in the lease.
As of late Friday afternoon, August 29, , officials from ME had still not responded to The News Observer’s messages.