South Whidbey Academy high school students will mix and mingle in the halls of South Whidbey High School this coming September.

Forty-six students in the alternative school’s ninth-grade through 12th-grade program will “co-locate” to the unoccupied north wing of South Whidbey High School at the start of the 2016-17 academic year. South Whidbey Academy is home to three distinct alternative education programs: kindergarten through fifth grade, sixth through eighth grade, and the high school classes. Only the academy’s high school students are affected, so far. In an email Friday morning, South Whidbey School District Superintendent Jo Moccia said discussions about the sixth-grade through eighth-grade program making a similar move to Langley Middle School have occurred, but no decision has been made.

“I don’t really approve of it … It didn’t really make any sense to me.”

Jesse Seely

South Whidbey Academy student

Moccia said in a telephone interview Thursday the change of location was decided administratively, by her. She touted a number of reasons for the move, which include increased selection of classes, reduced travel time between campuses, improved transportation efficiency and better access to extracurricular activities. Letters were sent to affected academy students’ parents Feb. 12 detailing the history and background of the academy as well as the rationale behind the decision.

“The positives are why we’re doing it,” Moccia said. “It’s a total program enhancement.”

The transition to the high school has been criticized and questioned by parents and students.

Eighth-grade students Nolan Smith and Jesse Seely said they were not informed of the change and only heard about it after their parents received letters from the school. Smith said he didn’t have any concerns with moving to the high school, but would have preferred to stay at the current location if he had the choice. He also felt that the commute between the two schools wasn’t a hassle.

“It’s just a little walking,” Smith said.

Seely agreed.

“I don’t really approve of it, I don’t like it,” Seely said. “It’s kind of hard to have an opinion because the school district didn’t include any students in the decision. It didn’t really make sense to me.”

A meeting to address questions and concerns from students and parents will be held at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 2 at the academy. Moccia, South Whidbey Academy Principal David Pfeiffer and South Whidbey High School Principal John Patton will begin the meeting with introductions then field questions from attendees.

Despite the change in physical location, Moccia said academy students will be able to retain distinct features of the academy, such as graduate criteria, a lounge area and the ability to remain separate from the high school, if the students so choose. Also, they will have opportunities to integrate with students during open periods such as lunch, for example.

Mark Helpenstell, Seely’s father, claimed the public meeting only came as a result of his inquiries to learn more about how and when the decision to move the program was made. He said he first heard of the change from another parent and not the district.

Helpenstell, also a commissioner for the South Whidbey Parks and Recreation District, is concerned about a lack of public discussion at the district, school board and high school levels over what he said could have a “huge impact” on some of the students.

“This bunch of kids collectively struggle in that mainstream environment,” Helpenstell said. “I’m not seeing the appropriate concern for that.”

Because he does not know how the change in location will impact his son, it has made him fearful. Helpenstell said he recognizes that change makes people uncomfortable, but noted that he is missing information.

“There may be some real positives to this and I’m open and listening, but so far there hasn’t been any information and the info I have been able to get has been sparse,” Helpenstell said. “I find that frightening.”

Moccia understood concerns about the location shift naturally would come as a result. She said changes in location are not typically something the district asks parents to have input on. Moccia added that the meeting will be the appropriate venue for addressing questions and concerns parents may have.

“I think what happens is people get nervous because change is change,” Moccia said. “That’s why we’re letting people know so far in advance.”

Katy Smith, Nolan Smith’s mother, disagreed with the reasons listed by the school and was also frustrated by the lack of input parents were given.

“I like the fact that Nolan is in a smaller school,” Smith said.

South Whidbey School Board Director Linda Racicot said the board was informed of the decision and fully supported it.

“We all agreed it was a good move,” she said. “That’s (Moccia’s) job to make those decisions, but we definitely are supporting it.”

The address change will be the second in four years for the high school alternative program. The district moved and reformed the Bayview School alternative program into the South Whidbey Academy in 2012.