The decision to allow all students in Wake County middle schools and high schools be eligible to participate in interscholastic sports led to some heated rhetoric from the school board.

Under this revised policy adopted two weeks ago, a student at a middle school or high school that doesn't have an interscholastic sports program will now be able to try out at another school designated by the district. The change affects two magnet middle schools, the early colleges, the alternative schools, Hilburn Drive Academy and the two new single-sex leadership academies.

The debate got so heated that school board member Deborah Prickett accused board member Jim Martin of opposing the policy because he personally disliked her, which he denied.  The rhetoric caused board member Christine Kushner and board chairman Kevin Hill to urge their colleagues to show more decorum.

The Coalition of Concerned Concerned Citizens for African American Children is backing creation of a new career and technical education high school for Wake County, but is also saying they "are concerned about how this program is being designed and implemented."

In this press release sent late Monday, the CCCAAC questions whether the former Coca-Coca Bottling factory on Wilmington Street is the right location. The group asks "would the Gov. Morehead site be better, or perhaps a site closer to eastern Wake?"

Using the Gov. Morehead School could prevent it from also housing students from the single-sex leadership academies, a program that CCCAAC has opposed.

The Wake County school system's two new single-six leadership academies could face one more hurdle in the form of possible legal action from the state chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union.

As noted in today's Triangle Politics column by Thomas Goldsmith, ACLU officials say they'll decide by next week whether to take further action on the single-sex schools. Currently, the ACLU is pouring through a voluminous pile of system records it requested.

The ACLU is trying to determine whether the single-sex schools meet the constitutional goals of having an “exceedingly persuasive justification” and showing that “the classification serves important governmental objectives and that the discriminatory means employed are substantially related to the achievement of those goals.”

It looks like fears that Wake County's two new single-sex leadership academies would become predominantly African American schools have turned out to be unfounded.

Figures released last week by the district show that white students are projected to have a plurality at both leadership academies. Critics of the academies had raised concerns that Wake's schools are modeled on two largely black single-sex schools in Guilford County.

Wake's data shows that the Wake Young Men's Leadership Academy's enrollment is projected to be 42 percent white, 27 percent black, 13 percent Asian and 11 percent Hispanic. The school will also have 43 percent of its students receiving federally subsidized lunches.

The deal to house the Wake County school system's two new single-sex leadership academies at William Peace University fell apart in a matter of days this week.

As noted in today's article, the turning point came during Tuesday's school board meeting. The lobbying from Peace alumnae and students against the deal culminated in a lengthy closed-session board discussion that resulted in new questions for Peace that the university decided not to answer.

Peace's response was the terse statement saying it was walking away "due to the division and controversy on the Wake County Public School System board."

SEE UPDATE AT END OF POST WITH STATEMENT ISSUED TODAY BY THE PEACE ALUMNAE WHO OPPOSED PLACING THE LEADERSHIP ACADEMIES ON CAMPUS

Peace University just issued this statement walking away from the deal for the single-sex schools:

STATEMENT

“William Peace University has requested that the Wake County Public School System remove the university from consideration for the leadership academies due to the division and controversy on the Wake County Public School System board. We wish the Wake County Public School System the best as they continue to consider whether to move forward with the leadership academies.” – William Peace University

It looks like the Wake County school board will need to use its contingency plans for the schools.

UPDATE

Here's the statement the Wake County school system released in response to Peace's statement:

"The Wake County Public School System and William Peace University have been unable to reach an agreement on the location of the early college portion of the Leadership Academies. We will continue discussions in the future at a time that works for both of us to determine what is in the best interest of both organizations and their students."

Wake County Schools Superintendent Tony Tata is reassuring parents at two new single-sex schools that they’ll open this fall even if a deal to house the academies at William Peace University falls through.

In this letter Wednesday to families at the new schools, Tata told them that the contingency plan would be to house the men’s leadership academy at a modular school site next to East Millbrook Middle School in North Raleigh.

Tata said the backup plan for the women’s leadership academy would be to house them at the Governor Morehead School for the Blind in downtown Raleigh.

School officials said there’s enough space next to East Millbrook that they could house both the men’s academy and the new Abbotts Creek Elementary School if needed. Abbotts Creek received so few applicants in the first round of the school selection process that the school’s opening may be delayed.

More details to come, but the three new Democratic Wake County school board members are making a bid today to derail the two new single-sex leadership academies.

During the presentation at today's work session (click here for the handout), school board member Susan Evans said it wasn't fiscally responsible to start the academies now.

"Maybe it’s late in the game to have this discussion, but we haven’t had the chance to discuss it until now," Evans said.

SEE UPDATE AT END OF POST

The official public hearing on Wake County Superintendent Tony Tata's budget proposal will take place tomorrow after all.

An earlier district media advisory had said the hearing would be at the March 27 school board meeting. But a revised district media advisory and the official board agenda lists the public hearing for Tuesday.

During the work session, the board will receive a "school innovation update," which is the catch phrase for a presentation on housing the leadership academies at Peace University and the Gov. Morehead School for the Blind and the CTE high school at the former Coca-Cola bottling factory.

The discussion could result in the leases being added to the regular meeting agenda.

As you guys may have seen in today's article by Martha Quillin and Amanda James, the YWCA of the Greater Triangle abruptly closed Wednesday because of budget woes.

The YWCA was known for various social service programs. But those involved in the Wake County school diversity fight also know the group as having played an active role in that issue in the past two years.

The YWCA was involved with groups such as N.C. HEAT and the Wake Youth Organizing Institute. It sponsored marches protesting the end of the diversity policy. It worked with federal investigators probing the school system.

The YWCA criticized the single-sex leadership academies. It honored Yevonne Brannon.