The Fairfield County School District is one step closer to officially being placed on probation, according to a letter received by the district a little more than a week ago.

According to the letter, dated Dec. 14, the South Carolina Council on Accreditation and School Improvement of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) reviewed the report of the Special Investigation Team and “voted to recommend to the Accreditation Commission that all of the Fairfield County Schools be placed in the accreditation status of Probation.”

“That is part of our process,” said Jennifer Oliver, vice president of communication for SACS. “We have a national accreditation commission that reviews reports and they have affirmed the recommendation of the review team.”

Nearly a month has gone by since the Special Review Team released its report on the Fairfield County School District, and some members of the school board are questioning the district’s response thus far.

“We haven’t done anything,” said board member Polly Parker (Dist. 7). “Not a thing.”

With another visit from a second review team on the horizon, board member Danielle Miller (Dist. 2), at a board meeting two weeks ago, encouraged her fellow board members to come together and present a unified statement to the public.

To date, that has not been done.

“There hasn’t been any planning,” Miller said. “If there has, I’m certainly not aware of it.”

Board member Henry Miller (Dist. 3) said the board had voted two weeks ago to cooperate with SACS, and the board has heard presentations from the S.C. School Board Association, as well as other individuals, offering their assistance.

“All the board members are saying the same thing,” Henry Miller said, “but what are we doing about it?

“We don’t have a plan,” he continued. “Yes, we are talking to some folks, but we really need to sit down and make some effort. The time clock is ticking and the board is not doing its due diligence.”

Parker, Danielle Miller and Henry Miller have all three expressed their willingness to travel all the way to SACS headquarters in Atlanta, if necessary, in order to move the process forward.

“It’s just that important,” Henry Miller said. “To be placed on probation is serious business.”

SACS, Oliver said, is standing by.

“We hope they do maintain their accreditation,” she said. “We have offered our services to them. All they have to do is pick up the phone and give us a call.”