A special review team from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Council on Accreditation and School Improvement (SACS CASI) met with some resistance this week when they arrived in the district to assess whether the Fairfield County School System is meeting their standards.

"The team was notified upon arrival that the superintendent, district staff, and board of education members would not participate in scheduled interviews," said Jennifer H. Oliver, Vice President of Communications for SACS.

The review team remained in the district until Tuesday, collecting documents to help assess whether the Fairfield County School System is meeting the standards and requirements for SACS CASI accreditation.

"A normal visit would have included interviews with the superintendent, members of the school board, key district staff and parents and community members," Oliver said. "We're not sure why they were not made available."

Oliver added that during reviews, it is the responsibility of the school system to arrange such interviews.

School Board Chairperson Catherine Kennedy said the decision not to cooperate was based on legal advice from the district's attorney, Charles Boykin.

"Letters were sent to (SACS) and we made it clear that four out of the five people who had written letters of complaint to SACS were in litigation with the school district," Kennedy said. "Letters were sent in plenty of time to let them know the status of the board.

"If it were time for SACS to come, we would welcome that," she said, "but we would want for all the litigation to clear."

Indeed, SACS normally reviews school systems every five years, according to Oliver, but SACS has received several complaints that warranted an early visit.

Those complaints, Oliver said, were concerns over the governance of the school system, how the board and the superintendent were relating in their decision processes, as well as some financial concerns.

The decision not to cooperate has flummoxed some members of the school board, who said they feel the best route would have been an open one.

"Why not participate?" asked school board member Polly Parker, who represents the 7th District. "This is a method by which to judge whether or not we're doing right by our children. We may lose some accreditation points in the process, but it would be a great stepping stone to know where we're going."

Oliver said that a report would be prepared in the coming weeks and that SACS will respond to the school district in 30 days.