Letter From the Board

November 24, 2009
Dear Stakeholders and Friends of Nampa Classical Academy,
As many of you know, we were issued two Notices of Defect yesterday morning. These two Notices were based upon, one, our intent to use religious documents in the classroom, and two, our decision (based on advice from our legal counsel) to withhold from the Commission all curricular materials relating to our pending litigation against the State. On Tuesday evening, November 17th, Chairman Goesling sent a letter to NCA demanding every single lesson plan, handout, text, and worksheet to be used in any and every lesson between now and the end of this school year in a variety of different subjects, and requiring that all such materials be delivered to the Commission by Monday, November 23rd at 8:00am.
In regards to our “intent” to use religious texts in the classroom, we sought the advice of our legal counsel and decided, as a Board, that it is time to move forward with our predetermined curriculum in accordance with our approved Charter. Up to this point in the school year, we have delayed the use of religious texts in the classroom, but cannot continue to do so without directly compromising one of the foundational tenets of the Classical Education Model, and thus compromise our responsibilities to our students and our stakeholders. This morning, the Commission directly asked us if we are using the Bible or copies of the Bible in the classroom. We truthfully answered that to date, we have not used any documents in that form. However, in the interests of transparency and full disclosure, we are indeed intending to use source documents of a religious nature in the near future as the curriculum of our offered courses of History and Literature dictates. As stated above, to do otherwise would directly compromise our curriculum and the Classical Education Model. We have delayed the introduction of such religious texts as long as we can without violating our Charter.
Lastly, we all are aware that information has been flowing fast and furious through the media, admittedly faster than we have been able to keep up with. However, the Board is consciously committed to keeping all of you informed as expediently as possible. During our Board Meeting tonight, we discussed this at length, and readily acknowledged the need for more consistent and timely communication with all of you. We are of a unified mind in this, and are working to ensure that these lines of communication with you remain open, and the flow of information continuous. Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Erik Makrush, the NCA Board Public Relations Committee Chair. Mr. Makrush can be reached at 949-6772.
Sincerely,
The Nampa Classical Academy Board of Directors,
Michael Moffett, Acting Chair
Irene Gans, Secretary
Terry LaMaster, Treasurer
James Lorenzen
Erik Makrush