It’s unfortunate that it took the threat of legal action for the school board to really look at the Dinosaur Community Charter School’s request to expand.

But, in the end, they came around and made what we believe to be the right decision. On Thursday night, they voted to allow the school to provide services to seventh-graders. Although the approval was conditional, those conditions were all set with the best interests of students in mind.

And their best interests will further be served by continuing their education in what some parents call, “the next best thing to home school.”

The Dinosaur school serves a big need in a community that is frequently ignored with residents who feel disconnected from the county to which they belong.

The school already has started doing more than educating — it is starting to bring a disjointed community back together again by working as one of the only facilities at which all residents are welcome and encouraged to be a part of.

The Dinosaur school struggled to get off the ground — issues ranged from finding qualified staff members to getting residents to enroll their children.

The school’s Oct. 1 student count stood at 15. This year, the school likely will serve more than 40 students with an eight-to-one student-to-staff ratio and more volunteer hours than most Craig organizations can boast.

We urge anyone with any interest — or concern — about the Dinosaur Community Charter School to tour the facility, to talk to the students and to see first-hand what a dedicated and caring group of people can do and the obstacles they can overcome.

We congratulate the school board for its decision and hope it will look as closely next year when the charter school requests to expand to serve eighth-graders.