Charis Prep continues practices
By David Williams
Published in News on October 7, 2004 2:02 PM
Although a private school in Goldsboro has been closed for failing to meet inspection requirements, its basketball team continues to practice.
The Wayne County public schools' athletics director, Dean Sauls, said Tuesday he went to Greenwood Middle School and found a group working out in the gym. The group rented the gym under the name "Crimson Tide Basketball program."
Charis Prep, the school shut down by inspectors, has said the nickname for its athletic teams was to be Crimson Tide.
Charis Prep opened at Abundant Life Ministries on Sheridan Forest Road but it was closed until the building meets inspection requirements for schools.
The basketball team has been working out regularly in at least two gyms in Goldsboro since the school closed Sept. 23. There is no gym at Abundant Life Church.
The team is under the supervision of Charis Prep Headmaster Carlos Peralta, a former coach in private schools in Goldsboro and Wilson.
Sauls, the public schools' athletic director, issued a memo to the athletic directors at the individual schools saying, "Let it be clearly understood that Wayne County Public Schools will not schedule any school that is not officially recognized by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction as a certified public or private school. We do not mind if our county schools play the certified private schools already in existence."
Charis Prep has not released a playing schedule. The Smithfield-Selma High School athletics director, Mike Joyner, said last week that Charis Prep had been scheduled to hold a practice game with the Spartans, but he was checking on whether that scrimmage would be played.
Rod Helder, the director of the N.C. Department of Administration, said last week that he has not had any further contact from Peralta on registering Charis Prep as a private school. Helder is in charge of certifying non-public schools.
Peralta had spoken with Helder about the inspection certificates needed to consider Charis Prep a legal school.
The Goldsboro Inspections Department shut Charis Prep down after it failed several building inspections. The school can reopen when the problems are resolved and it is registered with the Department of Administration.
Nothing in Charis Prep's literature indicates whether the school has ever been certified with any accrediting agency.