WHENEVER an elected official is faced with a decision to approve or not approve a business request, he must look at the positive as well as negative impacts.

A decision was made at the Aug. 14 Caroline County Board of Supervisors meeting to deny the request for Abundant Life Academy to relocate to Caroline. Prior to the meeting, I was approached by several concerned citizens regarding the academy. Concerns such as the kind of students who might be accepted, the security system in place, and the track record of the facility were discussed.

The sheriff had concerns regarding the impact on law enforcement. After hearing the presentation by academy owners, I was not convinced that approving this request was best for Caroline County. The board was told that the students who were accepted might have drug issues but had not been convicted of violent crimes. To that I would say: The student who caused 32 deaths at Virginia Tech had no criminal record. The movie-theater invasion that left 70 wounded persons and six dead was caused by a doctoral student with no criminal record.

Not having a criminal record does not ensure that a student will not present safety concerns for the nearby residents. The escape of just one student into a rural area, where law enforcement is miles away, could devastate a community. There are risks involved with this type of operation. Locating to a remote rural area only adds to those risks. Taking into account that senior citizens reside in this area means that there are even greater risks.