MURRAY, Utah — The American International School of Utah will permanently close at the conclusion of this school year.
The school’s board of directors voted unanimously to shut down by August 15, 2019.
A handful of parents and students attended Wednesday’s meeting when the decision was made.
Many cried and hugged each other when they realized the finality of the decision.
“There was all this false hope going around that we would be able to rally the school and stay together,” said AISU student Jonathan Burgess.
Students who attended AISU for the unique learning environment and close-knit community are struggling to come to terms with this outcome.
“What do you do with all those creative kids that think school is a safe space, and you close it down,” Burgess said. “You’re sending all those kids and you’re separating them. There are students who came to school here to get away from the bullying at public schools.”
The school’s executive director, Tasi Young believes the current administration inherited the financial issues from AISU’s original investors.
“The problems we saw today were a result of our school being collateralized for a side venture,” Young said.
The financial woes are so deep, the board could not find a legitimate solution to help the school pay its bills in the future. Students and their families, along with AISU’s staff are feeling the pain of those financial mistakes.
“I don’t know. I truthfully, do not know,” answered Jamie Adamson, a parent of two AISU students, when asked what her family will do next.
The school says it plans to help students and staff find other opportunities for the next school year.
