Men and Women United for Youth and Families has hosted a 10-week summer camp at East Arcadia School in Bladen County for the last five years.
Local churches and community members donate food, supplies, and money for the camp, which serves students in kindergarten through eighth grade, said Randolph Keaton, executive director of the nonprofit. Camp participants work with academic tutors, make art, and play outside.
Now that East Arcadia School will close in early August, this year’s summer program is also at risk. Keaton said Bladen County Schools has not given the green light for this year’s camp, which is slated to begin June 15.
“We are not pointing any fingers, but for us, we have to think about the community, the children, our role as advocates,” Keaton said. “The kids will miss out. Our kids are already behind academically, and now this.”
The Bladen County school board voted 5-4 in March to close East Arcadia School at the end of the academic year, citing declining enrollment and the need for extensive renovations. Board members who opposed the closure argued the district should have invested in upgrading the campus and improving students’ academic performance.
Some residents had pleaded with the board to keep the school open. They said the building serves as a community gathering place for East Arcadia, where about 88% of the town’s 450 residents are Black.
This fall, East Arcadia School students will be transferred to Clarkton School of Discovery about 20 miles away.
Keaton said it’s especially important for East Arcadia School students to attend this year’s summer camp for extra support as they transition to another school. He said he met with school district administrators earlier this month but still does not have a firm answer on using the school building.
“Leaving a place they’re familiar with and going to a place that they’re not familiar with is traumatic,” he said. “[The closure] left a bad taste in people’s mouths. It makes it feel like the school system just doesn’t care for our community or our children.”
The future of East Arcadia School, which opened as a Rosenwald school for Black students in the 1920s, remains uncertain. Bladen County commissioners declined to buy the 20-acre campus, which is valued at $2.9 million, according to property records.
So the property will likely be sold at auction, although the school district has not released any details. At least one organization has expressed interest: BEAM Academy, an agriculture-focused charter school that has been eyeing Bladen County for years.
The North Carolina Charter School Review Board denied BEAM Academy’s request in 2020 to open a school in the county, potentially at East Arcadia School. Board members said they were hesitant about the academy’s management company, Torchlight.
But BEAM Academy President Tyrone Tucker wrote a letter to the Bladen County school board on April 13 saying the academy wanted to buy or lease the campus to operate a school and partner with East Arcadia Development Inc., a local nonprofit that provides flu shots and runs a food pantry.
“Schools are essential community hubs that foster academic, social and economic growth,” Tucker wrote. “Schools serve as safe gathering places, providing resources for families, promoting civic engagement, and aligning education with local needs.”
Keaton said he is gathering feedback from residents to learn how they envision the future of East Arcadia School.
“Anybody would say the community probably has better ideas on how to utilize the facilities,” he said. “But is the community being heard?”