We should find way to keep academy open

Re “San Pasqual Academy’s closure is a turning point for foster care in San Diego County” (Feb. 25): San Pasqual Academy should not be closed. While most kids benefit when placed with families, some older children have a justifiable distrust of a traditional family because of abuse and other trauma they have suffered.

San Pasqual Academy, with its cottage groups, provides a less threatening alternative home-like setting for such adolescents. Before San Pasqual, many kids ended on the streets with no legal source of income and no adult support, leading to predictable personal disasters.

At San Pasqual Academy, the development of adult skills and transition to adult life are a primary focus: budgeting, meal planning, self-care, preparing for vocational training or college. This vital resource should be supported and continued.

Dale Dawson San Carlos

We thought Nathan Fletcher would be a champion for San Pasqual Academy and his words said as much when he spoke at its graduation ceremonies. We thought he’d pick up the torch carried by Supervisors Ron Roberts and Greg Cox, who have been staunch advocates and supporters for the last 20 years.

How wrong we are. Not only did he not believe in the school, he’s taken no accountability for the threat of closure nor made any effort to try to stop it.

We believed in Nathan Fletcher and he made fools of us. We won’t make that mistake again.

Lois Jones Escondido