The board of education has still not come to a decision regarding the movement of the FAA students to Maize South. However, the board seemed from the meeting on Jan. 10 to be leaning more toward the movement.

“In that boundary process one of the goals in drawing that line was to equally divide the two middle schools and two high schools and that includes poverty, language and special needs [students],” board president Matt Jensby said.

During the December meeting, board members listened to 11 people address the issue of moving the students, leading to the issue being put on the agenda officially for the meeting last Monday.

At the meeting on Jan. 10, five people discussed the issues regarding moving and not moving the FAA students.  

Junior Matthew Melchor, Friendship Club president, spoke again at the meeting and explained his views on moving the program.

“They’ve tried to start the club [Friendship Club] at Maize South three times and hasn’t been successful every time they’ve tried,” Melchor said. “I think it is going to be hard on these kids moving to a new school.”

There are 130 members in Friendship Club at Maize, and Melchor expressed how he thinks depriving the FAA students from the club at Maize would be a mistake.

Superintendent Chad Higgins also spoke. He discussed basic and specific information regarding FAA relocation. He reviewed the plan of transition, discussed alternative options and answered questions.

“It’s an opportunity to process and experience a transition while you have your peers, while you have your teachers, while you have your parents in a similar environment [and] while you have those resources,” Higgins said. “It helps you develop those skills for when all those resources aren’t available and not all those support systems are in place.”