The Flint Hills Learning Center will move to the Flinthills Mall beginning in December, according to an announcement by Stephanie Sullivan, director.
The learning center, now at 1001 Commercial St., is operated by the Educational Services and Staff Development Association of Central Kansas on behalf of the Emporia school district. It is an alternative school for students who do not fit into the traditional mode. Students may have jobs or family situations that conflict with school schedules or may not learn well in regular classrooms. The school also has a strong program for people learning English as a second language.
Graduation, not a GED, is the goal for the students.
“It’s to obtain a high-school diploma,” Sullivan said.
An average of about 100 students a day attend classes at the center and have considerable flexibility in setting their own educational schedules. The school is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays and from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Fridays.
“And sometimes we have to extend those hours, adjust accordingly,” she said. “We try to meet the needs of the individuals we are serving.”
Breakfasts and lunches prepared by USD 253 Food Service Department will continue to be available to the students after the move into the mall. The school will be located in the northeast corner of the former Food-4-Less grocery store. It will be adjacent to the new Sears store, which opened this fall in the southeast corner of the old Food-4-Less area.