Two Macon Early College students decried the potential of not being allowed to play Franklin High School sports during public comment of the Monday, March 25, Macon County Board of Education meeting at Macon Middle School.
The idea of barring MEC students from FHS sports teams comes as staff warned the school board the upcoming North Carolina High School Athletic Association realignment could place FHS in a higher classification, resulting in increased travel.
Currently 20-25 Macon Early College students compete in FHS athletics, so the MEC student body must be counted into Franklin High’s Average Daily Membership (ADM). Barring MEC (and Bartram Academy) students from playing FHS sports without exception would keep the FHS ADM lower, and potentially keep them in a conference with more local teams.
Because the new NCHSAA realignment starts in summer 2025, it will use 2024-25 ADM numbers from the first month of the school year. Thus, any change to MEC’s athletic participation to affect realignment numbers must be before the next school year.
MEC student Lacey Prince, a member of the FHS cheer team spoke about how MEC students deserve the chance to compete and are as dedicated and responsible as everyone else. (The NCHSAA governs cheerleading for its members as an activity.)
“Just imagine how different the sports teams would be without MEC students,” Prince said, telling the board it would be unfair to “push them aside.”
“It is important for you guys to understand the impact of your decision on MEC students,” Prince said, fighting back tears. “We’re not just kids to be dismissed.”
Board Attorney John Henning read a public comment submitted by MEC freshman Lilly Coker, an FHS women’s soccer player who was at a game that night. Coker talked about the MEC students who are leaders or record-breakers on the soccer and track teams.
“Freshmen and sophomores were promised before applying to MEC that we would be able to play sports and go to MEC, so it would be unfair to take that away from us,” stated Coker, who wrote about the camaraderie that sports bring them, and how they’re able to handle their college course loads while not getting back from road games until late.
Later in the meeting, Macon County Schools Chief Academic Officer/Federal Programs Director Mickey Noe gave an update on what he’s heard about ADM and realignment. Noe noted that the NCHSAA voted to go from having four classifications, 1A-4A, to eight classifications, 1A-8A, starting in 2025-26.
Board Chair Jim Breedlove wanted to write a letter to oppose the move to eight classifications but Noe and Henning told him that the expansion vote happened a year ago.
Noe explained that there’s no timeline or information about realignment at this time, other than it will solely be based on ADM and there will be eight classifications. Previously, ADM and athletic performance were used as metrics to determine which classification a school would fall into.
Noe said currently, FHS’s ADM for 2024-25, based on the first month’s school data, which the NCHSAA uses, was 1,062. Bartram was at 117 and MEC at 137. Noe said adding Bartram students could push the FHS ADM to beyond 1,300 and maybe place FHS in 7A. This year, Bartram does not allow its students to participate in high school athletics.
Noe explained to the board that if MEC students are allowed to continue to compete, FHS’s ADM would be 1,199, putting them in at least 6A, and thus a classification higher than any current Mountain 7 Conference rivals.
Noe’s handout to the school board said that based on his research, this theoretical 6A conference could include St. Stephens, 150 miles away; Alexander Central, 165 miles away; and Kings Mountain, 151 miles away, along with Enka, A.C. Reynolds and Asheville, all in Buncombe County.
“Now instead of getting out of school at 2 [p.m.], you’re getting out at 9:30 in the morning, and instead of getting home at 12 or 1 in the morning, it could be 2 or 3,” Noe said, noting that would be for every sport and that it would be extremely tough, but in the end it is only speculation.
The issue of ADM came up at the March 20 board retreat, presented by MCS Athletic Director Todd Gibbs. Similarly, Macon Virtual Academy students don’t compete in FHS sports, according to FHS Principal Blair King, because those students are not in two FHS class periods.
The board didn’t decide on MEC students Monday night. Board Member Hilary Wilkes said they can’t petition a theory, citing not knowing the NCHSAA timeline. Henning said he would get more information by the April meeting.
In other news from the school board meeting, Board Member Diedre Breeden said the liaison committee met with Carroll Daniel, the new Franklin High Construction Manager At Risk, last week. Breeden said timeline changes mean the 2024 Franklin High football season will include home games, as Carroll Daniel “didn’t see an advantage to breaking ground before November and December.” The new timeline would take the FHS football stadium offline for the 2025 season.
For the last several months, MCS and FHS have operated on the idea of playing an all-away 2024 football season due to the proposed construction of a new stadium.
Nantahala will have a new principal in 2024-25 as Andrew Pyle is retiring effective June 1, according to the personnel reports the school board approved Monday night. The reigning MCS Principal of the Year, Pyle has led Nantahala School for the last seven years and previously was in the Cherokee County school system for more than 20 years.