Dozens of families packed Boulder City Council chambers on May 1 in support of a homeschool program called Sage that had operated quietly for decades but recently shut down after being flagged for code violations.
The city said it received two complaints in February from community members raising concerns about unsafe, unpermitted buildings and the operation of an unlicensed school. In response, the city visited the site and confirmed the violations. Sage then voluntarily closed its doors, leaving 30 families to scramble for another option mid-school year, and launched a GoFundMe that has raised over $34,000.
Supporters say Sage is more of a spiritual nature-based community than a formal school and therefore it wouldn’t be appropriate to become licensed. The city disagrees, citing safety concerns for kids and the fact that the program ran Monday through Thursday, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., as evidence it functioned as a school and must be licensed in order to continue operating…