Harrisburg board approves closure of Marshall Academy; proposal to close Rowland fails

The Harrisburg City School Board voted June 30 to close Marshall Academy but rejected a motion to close Rowland Academy after hours of discussion and public comment.

Board members approved the Marshall action after hearing testimony from staff and community members about safety and behavioral concerns at the program. The motion carried on a roll-call vote (five in favor, one opposed). Chair (presiding officer) framed the item as a programmatic closure rather than the permanent shutdown of a school building, saying the site could be used by the district in the future.

Melanie Cook, a Riverside homeowner, criticized the board—s process and timing of agenda changes, telling members: "You engage in practices that are simply not legitimate," and warned that the community deserved better notice and deliberation. The board acknowledged the public feedback during discussion.

Board debate on Rowland Academy focused on leadership turnover and whether reconfiguration had adequate stakeholder input. Several board members cited multiple principals and repeated staff concerns. One board member summarized: "We had 20-plus employees come out and spoke very, vocally about the concerns that they had at the school." After extended discussion, the motion to close Rowland failed on a roll-call vote (one yes, five no). The chair said the item will be brought back at a later meeting with a more developed plan.

Superintendent (administration) told the board it will provide monthly status updates on Camp Curtin and other implementation steps, and recommended embedding return-to-school or implementation checkpoints in the superintendent—s performance objectives to make follow-up enforceable.

The board said it will continue work on community engagement and operational details before any further action on Rowland. The meeting moved on to other business after votes were recorded.