BY HANNAH SHARPE

Staff Writer

Both sides in a lawsuit filed against members of the STARS board of directors are seeking compromise through mediation, as parents, teachers and students wait to see what the future holds for the charter school.

During a hearing in Superior Court Tuesday, Judge James Webb ordered opposing factions of the board into immediate mediation after both parties agreed to stand down on further legal actions.

Last Friday, Shanahan Law Group, of Raleigh, filed a lawsuit asking the court for a temporary restraining order and a preliminary injunction against board members John Langley, Al Haltiwanger, Bonnie McPeake, O'Linda Gillis and Larry Graham.

The complaint alleges that board members abused their term limits by refusing to leave office, held illegal meetings in violation of state open meetings law, approved resolutions that violated the charter's bylaws and ignored compliance directives issued by the N.C. Office of Charter Schools.

The suit asked that a judge remove members of the board who have overstayed their term limits, reinstate board members Steven George and Cathy Buchan, who were illegally removed from office, and appoint two new members to the board.

Now, both groups hope that mediation talks scheduled at STARS next Tuesday will result in a solution that will prove beneficial for the board and the school.

Kieran Shanahan, the attorney representing board members Fred Walden, Steven George, Cathy Buchan and Amy Stonesifer, a STARS parent organization representative, hoped that the board will be able to resolve the issues and focus on the school's charter renewal process, which is scheduled to begin in October.

"While it was unfortunate that it took a lawsuit to start the process, I think that people are now coming around to see if we can get the ship righted quickly and all start rowing in the same direction," Shanahan said. "We felt, and the judge agreed, mediating it will give us an environment to work through all the issues in a dispassionate, non-confrontational way."

Shanahan added that the school's success is the one thing that everyone involved can support.

"The one thing that we're all on the same sheet of music about is everyone wants what's best for the school," he said. "And doing what's best for the school is making sure we have a charter."

Shanahan is no stranger to helping Moore County charter schools settle cases. Last month, he helped The Academy of Moore County settle its case with the State Board of Education.

For the STARS community, time is of the essence in resolving the matter. The first day of school is Aug. 24, and many parents and teachers worry that the school could lose its charter because of the board's actions.

Shanahan's complaint asked for immediate action, citing that the board members' actions could cause the school to lose its charter.

On July 16, the N.C. Office of Charter Schools placed the board on "governance probationary status" because the board was out of compliance with the charter's bylaws.

Since then, the board has had 30 days to comply or receive another warning of "governance noncompliance status," in which the school must immediately address its noncompliance within 10 days.

If the board fails to do that, it would be referred to the Leadership for Innovation Committee, which makes charter renewal recommendations to the State Board of Education.

The 30-day deadline for the probationary status is Aug. 15. As of Friday, when the court complaint was filed, the board had not taken any actions.

Contact Hannah Sharpe at hannah@thepilot.com.