Highlands School Board sets hearing on closing former Fawn elementary school

The Highlands School Board is considering permanently closing the former Fawn Primary Center.

The school was renamed the Highlands Support Center as part of the district’s controversial reconfiguration, which went into effect this school year.

The school board voted Monday to schedule a state-required public hearing to consider the permanent closing of the support center.

The hearing will be held at 6 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 11 in the library at Highlands High School, school board President Debbie Beale said Tuesday. The hearing is starting an hour before the board’s regularly scheduled agenda planning meeting starting at 7 p.m.

Fawn, like Fairmount, previously housed kindergarten, first- and second-grade students. Fairmount became the Highlands Early Childhood Center, housing kindergarten, pre-kindergarten, Head Start and early intervention support services.

Students in first and second grade were sent to Highlands Elementary School, formerly Grandview, joining third and fourth grades there.

As the support center, Fawn houses the partial hospital program from the middle school, the alternative education program from the high school, support and intervention rooms and offices and the district’s cyber charter school.

District spokeswoman Jennifer Goldberg could not immediately say where those functions would be relocated to if the building is closed.

Less than a year ago, and shortly before the reconfiguration became public, district officials denied rumors that the Fawn school would be closed.

Brian Rittmeyer is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Brian at 724-226-4701, brittmeyer@tribweb.com or via Twitter @BCRittmeyer.