GREENFIELD — A private Christian school — one that has become a controversial subject in recent weeks — received approval from the School Committee on Monday to open its doors this fall.

Providence Christian Academy, which will operate out of the former Greenfield Alliance Church at 385 Chapman St., was approved by a majority vote during a remote meeting on Monday, with four “yes” votes from members Susan Eckstrom, Jean Wall, Mayor Roxann Wedegartner and Chair Amy Proietti, and one vote “no” from member Elizabeth de Neeve. Members Glenn Johnson Mussad and Kate Martini abstained.

The school is a ministry of the Providence Moldovan Baptist Church on Federal Street, according to academy Chair Mike Placinta. Roughly 30 students are expected to enroll in kindergarten through fourth grade starting this fall.

“Providence Christian Academy received the approval from the town School Committee to open its doors,” the school posted on its Facebook page, calling the vote an “historical moment.” “Thank you, Lord, for this victory.”

The application first appeared before the School Committee on July 12, during which Proietti explained that while it’s not something the committee is asked to do often, its approval is part of a standard Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) process for reviewing a private school that is planning to operate within a municipality. In short, a proposed school must demonstrate that “the curriculum is thorough and that private school students are making the same academic progress as public school students,” according to DESE.

“It should have been a simple up-and-down vote of something that’s already allowed in state and federal law,” Proietti said on Monday. “We should certainly consider that the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education has put us in the unique and unfortunate position of making a decision, where we maybe don’t necessarily have the right information or the actual power to do anything except approve, which is a perfectly bureaucratic thing we see all the time from the state and federal government.”

At the July 12 meeting, Martini expressed an interest in receiving more information on the school’s reading and literacy curriculum, given its focus on phonics and more limited emphasis on other skills such as phonemic awareness, fluency, vocabulary, background knowledge and comprehension instruction.

Also at the July 12 meeting, de Neeve shared her concerns about the school’s Bible-centered education, which follows the Abeka curriculum established by the founders of the Pensacola Christian Academy in Florida. In particular, she brought up the curriculum’s teachings related to slavery, homosexuality, evolution and modern psychology.

Superintendent Christine DeBarge noted the curriculum itself was approved as a curriculum for homeschool instruction prior to Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Teaching Karin Patenaude assuming her current role with the district.

Still, the committee members’ concerns regarding the curriculum and information they’d received ultimately led to tabling the vote until their August meeting.

De Neeve’s comments, however, prompted Liberty Counsel, a law firm specializing in religious civil liberties, to submit a demand letter to the School Committee, arguing it unlawfully discriminated against Providence Christian Academy. The letter stated that imminent approval was required to avoid future litigation. In response, de Neeve emphasized that her concerns were not on a religious basis.

Speaking Monday evening, Wedegartner, who also serves on the School Committee, said her “yes” vote to approve Providence Christian Academy’s opening was not necessarily an endorsement of its curriculum.

“I want the public to understand, that in [voting ‘yes’], ... my approval does not equate to an endorsement of the private school teachings.”

Proietti added that she wants families to have the choice to “educate their children in a way they feel comfortable with.”

“I respect that, regardless of what I might think of any one person’s or any group’s individuals views,” she said. “That is their right.”

Reporter Mary Byrne can be reached at mbyrne@recorder.com or 413-930-4429. Twitter: @MaryEByrne.

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