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Abernathy Collegiate Charter School, a free public school launched in 2013 amid some community opposition, has come a long way in banishing doubts about its viability.

"We've been able to prove ourselves," Principal Shyanne Ledford said. "We have gotten a name for high standards and rigor."

Abernathy, which is adding tenth grade to its sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth grades next year, is enrolling students until July 11 for the fall.

"There is such significant interest that we may have to consider our first lottery," Ledford said.

Beginning in the fall, sixth graders will be self-contained, with one teacher the entire day. Art and Spanish teachers will rotate into the classroom.

For 2013, Abernathy has had 93 students and six teachers. Classes include math, art, science, Spanish and history. Several multi-credential teachers, a counselor, a library and computer lab will be added for 2014.

Ledford said the school maintains a "vigorous curriculum."

"Our sixth graders are bilingual after one year of Spanish," she said.

Enrichment programs include glee, newsletter and drama clubs, computer applications training and informal sports and fitness programs. The school held its first dance June 6 after the eighth grade graduation..

As a charter school, Abernathy is independent and has its own board of directors. By law, the traditional public school district (Tehachapi Unified School District, or TUSD) is obliged to provide certain resources, including classroom space. The school is located in unused separate classrooms at Jacobsen Middle School (JMS) and an old agriculture building from when the site was Tehachapi High School (THS), complete with swamp coolers, hooks for saddlery and industrial heaters to keep livestock warm.

Upon accepting the Abernathy charter a year ago, the TUSD trustees put off a decision on whether or not Abernathy students would be allowed to participate in JMS and THS team sports. While Abernathy students can access local recreational programs and traveling teams, playing for JMS and THS Warriors is a major issue for youngsters who want to play more competitively and, on the high school level, in a California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) league. A group of Abernathy students appealed to the TUSD board on May 27, 2014 to allow them to participate in the middle school and high school team programs. Three boys and one girl would have played this year, Ledford said.

"I assume these four have a big decision to make next year."

Several board members said they agreed with a JMS teacher who spoke in opposition to letting Abernathy students play. Other trustees appeared to be undecided. They will vote on the matter at the June 10 meeting.

School board trustees are under pressure from several sources to take care in making their decision. The district signed a "Safe and Inclusive Schools" Resolution on June 30, 2011, with the U.S. Department of Education Office of Civil Rights and The U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division. The agreement embeds copyrighted lessons in the K-12 curriculum. These lessons basically teach children to be kind to one another. Abernathy is not party to that resolution. Some district teachers, who coach, say they are worried about the potential for an incident that could bring down the wrath of the federal government. Teachers have said they would lack knowledge of Abernathy students' character and behavior.

The board, several of whom are past or current teachers, are sensitive to the wishes of the teachers' unions, as charter school teachers are not required to be in a union. Nationally, teachers' unions are strongly opposed to charter schools. The Tehachapi Teachers Association (TAT) has not announced a current position on the sports issue, but the leadership has expressed personal opposition.

Eighth grade student Eric Murillo woks on a tessellation assignment in Desiree Morse's art class

Two commenters at the board meeting said that Monroe Continuation High School students do not play sports at THS, equating their situation to Abernathy. There does not appear to be a written policy preventing Monroe students from playing sports. Monroe is designed to help students get back on track academically so they can graduate from Monroe or return to THS, where they can play if their grades meet the threshold.

Students who want to participate in sports at THS and at the same time prefer the academics and smaller classrooms of Abernathy have discovered they can enroll at THS for – as an example – football season and return to Abernathy.

"A couple of students came mid-year," Ledford said. "The curriculum path is not the same. They struggled."

Abernathy students descended upon Ledford the morning after the TUSD board meeting, upset at the cumulative effect of the negative comments and the undercurrent of "us" vs. "them." (See the TUSD website for audio of the meeting).

"They were angry, frustrated, they felt betrayed, they felt the adults didn't get it," Ledford said. "I had to calm them down."