SANDPOINT — A broad coalition of residents, parents and educators filed a statutory grievance Tuesday over the pending move of Lake Pend Oreille High School from its current campus to a site adjacent to Sandpoint Middle School.

The group, in a 30-page document, demands the district freeze the move and calls on the Lake Pend Oreille School District to reverse course and keep the alternative high school at its current site in the old Lincoln School on North Boyer.

"The administration is attempting to solve a financial math problem by destroying a psychological safe haven mandated by law," said Jackie Branum, lead representative for the Concerned Citizens for LPOHS Coalition.

The coalition also filed formal statutory dispute complaints with the Idaho Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education Programs, alleging federal civil rights, programmatic and funding violations. In addition, the group filed Open Meeting Law violation complaints with Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador and Bonner County Prosecuting Attorney Louis Marshall.

In the master grievance, the coalition alleges a pattern of administrative concealment of structural risks, with claims including attendance and cohort manipulation, a top-heavy administration and federal IDEA placement breaches regarding alternative learners, many of whom have binding Individualized Education Programs.

However, Lake Pend Oreille School District officials categorized many of the claims as either false or incomplete, saying staff carefully follows all state and federal regulations, and all decisions are made with students' best interests in mind.

LPOSD Superintendent Dr. Becky Meyer said the move of LPOHS to a new campus, beginning in the 2027-28 school year, will be placed on the school board's agenda for a vote.

"We want what's best for the students," Meyer said.

Coalition officials said their investigation found instances of false attendance and claimed several programs, from "Flex Fridays" to "intent to homeschool" forms, are being used to mask the district's true attendance picture and school dropout numbers.

However, LPOSD officials said that while there was confusion during the pandemic about when to mark students as in class or absent, those issues have largely been cleared up and the matter has been addressed with the district's administration team to ensure rules are followed. Claims of senior data dumping and false reports of homeschool plans are untrue, Meyer and Assistant Superintendent Casey McLaughlin said.

The coalition said it documented use of restricted federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief pandemic allocations for a remodel of the district's central office boardroom, exploiting technical "allowable use" loopholes. The project, the group claims, was hidden inside the bulk consent agenda to bypass transparent standalone board votes and community scrutiny.

However, LPOSD officials said the claims are false, with funds for the remodel approved by the board and verified as coming from the district's general fund. The project helped meet Americans with Disabilities Act requirements and helped the district address space and security concerns.

The coalition also cited what it says is a top-heavy administrative structure costing more than a combined $2.7 million when salaries and benefits are factored in. At the same time, the district eliminated positions and on-campus electives, hurting students at the alternative high school.

"The coalition contrasts this executive premium against the systematic elimination of LPOHS's dedicated math teacher, localized culinary and art electives, and the complete erasure of the alternative school counselor position," Branum said.

District officials, however, said that while a part-time math position was eliminated when Title I funding was lost, a full-time math position is ongoing. The reduction of electives is tied strictly to lower funding due to declining enrollment, Meyer and McLaughlin said.

The changes at LPOHS mirror those at other schools, including Clark Fork High School. However, while Clark Fork High School qualifies as a rural school — which LPOHS does not — students still must take many of their electives online.

"If they stay in the current building, they would need to have the CF model without the rural funding," district officials said. "If they move, then they can have full access to all CTEC and SHS offerings."

While district officials contend the move would save LPOSD more than $83,000 in baseline utilities, coalition members said the "mainstream middle school footprint" violates state mandates for a separate site for the alternative high school. The move would force reclassification to an "in-district program" that would result in a $314,770 hit to the district general fund over a three-year period.

Meyer and McLaughlin said the new LPOHS location qualifies for at-risk student funding as defined by law, meeting enrollment, educational and accountability guidelines.

"LPOHS meets the requirements to be an alternative school and will continue to do so at the new location," the pair said.

While district officials contend classrooms at the new location are and will be code-compliant and offer a comparable learning environment, coalition members disputed that, saying the portable classrooms lack indoor plumbing within their "educational frames" and don't meet standards.

The move from an independent, separate campus will force "vulnerable learners" out of a protected, low-stimulus environment onto a high-stimulus traditional high school campus, altering "the environmental context of their education."

Students will not be forced to attend class at either SHS or the CTEC buildings and will be given the option of independent study if they choose not to attend either school, district officials said.

Coalition members said they are concerned by the move and its impact on the community's at-risk youth, contending the decision was made behind closed doors and without the public's involvement.

"We have officially called on state and federal regulators to halt this rogue operation, protect state funding integrity and restore lawful compliance to our school district," said Branum, a former school superintendent, including a stint at the neighboring West Bonner County School District.