BRIEFLY IN THE NEWS

Charter school board appeals to county

The board of directors of the Orange County Academy, a charter school proposed for the Newport-Mesa Unified School District, have announced plans to appeal their case to the county following a rejection by the school board last week.

The academy, which would be the first charter school in Newport-Mesa, combines home schooling with classroom instruction on a weekly basis. At its Jan. 24 meeting, the school board turned down the proposal, saying the charter left too many unanswered questions about the curriculum and structure of the site.

Board members invited the founders to bring back an amended proposal, but the group instead opted to approach the county. John Nelson, a spokesman for the Orange County Department of Education, said the group will appear before the county board in the coming weeks.

Although the founders hope to open a campus in Newport Beach, academy board president Todd Winkler said the site was intended to serve all of Orange County.

“The initial place we were looking at starting the school was in Newport Beach, and it still is, but that’s just one of the potential places,” he said. “Obviously, we won’t make a decision on that until after we’re approved.”

Nelson said the county could either approve or deny the appeal. In the former case, the county, not the district, would assume responsibility for the charter school. In the latter case, the founders could appeal to the state.

Emergency readiness programs begin Feb. 23

The Newport Beach Fire Department will begin the 2006 Community Emergency Response Team program Feb 23.

The purpose of the program is to teach basic disaster preparedness skills for residents to use in the event of an emergency or major disaster.

The free class runs for 10 weeks and will focus on CPR, fire suppression, search and rescue, and terrorism awareness.

The classes are taught by Newport Beach firefighters and lifeguards.

A full schedule of CERT classes and events is available online at www.nbcert.org. For more information, call the Newport Beach Fire Department at (949) 644-3104.

Chief plans forum on immigration plan

Costa Mesa Police Chief John Hensley will explain the City Council’s immigration enforcement plan at a public forum at 7 p.m. Wednesday. The forum will be held at St. Joachim Church, 1964 Orange Ave., Costa Mesa.

The council in December voted, 3-2, to give city police federal training to check the immigration status of people suspected of serious crimes. If suspects are determined to be in the U.S. illegally, the city would turn them over to U.S. immigration authorities.