Board member Paul Fisher opened a discussion of his visit to Circle of Seasons charter school during the June 18 Northwestern Lehigh School Board meeting.

Fisher, who was appreciative of the school for allowing the visit to kindergarten and first grade classes, said it was an eye opener.

"Not to say one is right and one is wrong," he explained.

School Director LeRoy Sorensen said the charter school was very different using nontraditional methods.

"It is a valuable service to accommodate students who wouldn't fit in traditional education," said Sorensen. "If we pay $14,000 per student and they can do it for $10,000, they deserve the difference."

Board President Darryl Schafer said there is a place for charter schools but not all of them.

"Some people see it as using state money improperly," Schafer said. "Twice a year, we should be visiting our own buildings."

Fellow board member Ron Morrison said he saw open flames that were a safety issue, tapestries hanging from ceilings and teachers greeting each student.

Bill Dellicker, board member, said he was not surprised by what he saw.

"There were no books, no computers and no structure in the classroom," Dellicker said. "There was no flag either outside or inside and teachers were called by their first names."

In his opinion, the charter school was run by a bunch of hippies.

"With the amount of material and time, teachers do a lot of work," Fisher said. "They answer questions. I was im-pressed. If they represent the staff it is a good group."

Schafer said they sat down and interacted one-on-one with the students. He participated in a handwork class.

Weisenberg Elementary Principal Jill Berlet reported only one student returned to the public elementary school.