Did you know students in Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District (PYLUSD) could lose access to school facilities to make way for a charter program this fall? Are you are aware that some PYLUSD classrooms, library space, and outdoor play spaces are at stake?

We are asking the School Board to refuse the request by the Orange County Classical Academy (OCCA) for District resources for the 2023-2024 school year [UPDATE May 12, 2023: OCCA has withdrawn its proposal for 2023]. We as a community, in the interest of TRANSPARENCY, would like more information about this program and approval process before any decisions are made for the 2024-25 school year.

Jeopardizing PYLUSD Resources
As reported on April 28, 2023 by The Orange County Register:

“The Orange County Classical Academy, a charter school with a curriculum affiliated with a small Christian college in Michigan, wants to open a high school, possibly using classrooms and other spaces at an existing traditional campus.”

OCCA has submitted a proposal to PYLUSD, asking for use of District facilities beginning in the 2023-24 school year.

Targeting Four Schools
According to the proposal, “OCCA has identified a preliminary list of facilities that it believes would be the best fit for its program.” The following schools are on the list:

• Rio Vista Elementary,
• Esperanza High School,
• Bernardo Yorba Middle School, or
• El Dorado High School.

For the 2023-24 school year, OCCA is requesting 16 classrooms (and more in future years).

It has also requested library space, restrooms, one auditorium/multipurpose room, a health room/nurse’s office, locker rooms, one gymnasium, office space, blacktop and field space, a cafeteria/dining space, a kitchen/food preparation area, and parking spaces.

Prioritizing PYL Students
OCCA will present its proposal to the PYLUSD School Board at the May 9th School Board Meeting [UPDATE May 5, 2023: This will no longer be presented at the May 9 meeting]. Please join us in requesting that the Board refuse to sign the proposed “in lieu agreement.” OCCA missed the deadline for requesting campus classroom space by six months, so the Board is NOT required to accommodate OCCA’s request for the 2023-2024 school year.

We ask the Board to refuse the request and, between now and the 2024-2025 school year, we ask for more TRANSPARENCY on OCCA and the approval process, why OCCA is targeting our district and these four schools, and how this proposal would impact PYLUSD students and the surrounding school communities.