HORRY COUNTY, SC (WBTW)- The Horry County School Board proposes changes to the Scholars Academy and the STEM program at the Academy for the Arts, Science and Technology, or AAST, and parents worry how it could impact their children.

The school board proposals include making the Scholars Academy a standalone school and eliminating the STEM program for 9th and 10th graders at AAST.

Local parent, Jason Mahood has two children at the Scholars Academy, and he says the learning environment has helped kids like his thrive.

“Historically, the base schools wanted those kids to be included in the GPA rankings, to raise the general level of the GPAs in the schools. As the kids have done well, there have been some folks in the past that have been frustrated that there is a kid who is technically in the school who has gotten valedictorian who was never on the campus,” Mahood said.

While Mahood’s children still play sports and go to events at their base school, Carolina Forest High, that could all change with the school board’s proposal to make the Scholars Academy its own school.

“Dealing with these special needs kids, they’re extremely talented, high-achieving kids, they already don’t feel like they belong, kind of anywhere, and Scholars and AAST provides a place for them to not just belong, but to thrive, and when you tell these kids hey, we’re not going to give you a program with AAST, or we’re going to separate you into your own school, it’s saying you’re not part of us, you’re your own kids, it’s saying you’re not wanted again,” Mahood said.

The school board’s proposal would also eliminate the STEM program for 9th and 10th graders at AAST, something Mahood’s 8th grader was looking forward to taking part in.

“I think he will be hard-pressed to find the sort of challenge that he needs at one of the base schools,” Mahood said. “Rather than being able to go into that STEM program, which is his area of interest, now he’s going to the STEM program at the base school, which may or may not deliver the same success, the same environment, it’s a different experience.”

The board’s proposed changes to the Scholars Academy and the STEM program at AAST leave unanswered questions for some parents.

“How do they handle extra curricular activities, how do they handle the transportation issues, how do they handle the sports. There are no details in the presentation, and how would doing it that way be better than the current delivery system,” Mahood said.

The school board will discuss the topic during Monday’s meeting.

News13 reached out to board members and HCSD’s media contact, but they declined an interview until after Monday’s meeting.