Burke County High Schools in western North Carolina will continue to be on probation. The decision by AdvancEd means the district avoids losing accreditation.
Burke County Schools got into this problem after a series of school board decisions led to several contentious board meetings, a fired superintendent, and a bitter school board election. AdvancEd considered removing accreditation completely, but will allow the district several months to make improvements. AdvancEd accredits schools in 11 southern states. Earlier this year, it also placed Wake County Schools on probation. That prompted the state legislature to pass a law mandating that the state school board get into the business of accrediting schools. At least one member of the Burke County school board has stated it would seek accreditation from the state as a possible alternative to AdvancED.
