Are you a school, even if you don’t think you are? That’s a question that a north Boulder homeschool program that operates out of a private residence is grappling with.

Complaints from earlier this year appear to have put Sage Programs — the homeschool program in question — on pause. Sage Programs is considered a school under Boulder’s municipal code, but the property is currently zoned as a residential estate, which means only single-family detached homes can be built there.

Private schools are allowed within a residential zone district through a use review, a process that “takes about 90 days and is subject to the planning board,” according to Brad Mueller, director of development and planning services for the city.

The Boulder City Council chambers were crammed with Sage Programs supporters during last week’s meeting, with half of the 18 public commenters voicing support for the program.

“My family has been deeply touched by this powerful program, and its closing has been devastating. Sage Programs is not a school and it has never operated like one,” Lia Fioroni, one of those many supporters, told the City Council. “It is something far more meaningful and rare. It is a nature-based, spiritually-rooted program for homeschool families. It is a community, a sanctuary that honors Mother Earth, the ancestors of this land and the spirit that lives in all things.”

In a follow-up email, Mueller explained that the city received two separate complaints in February 2025 from community members. Those complaints, Mueller wrote, referenced safety and construction of some of the buildings on property. A follow-up inspection of the property discovered building code and zoning violations, Mueller wrote.

Supporters said they don’t see the nonprofit Sage Programs as a school — Christopher Sassano, who works with the program, said he sees Sage Programs as an enrichment program for homeschool children. Yet, Mueller said that the use of the property is a school use as defined in the Boulder municipal code.

“The school has full-day classes (regular school year listed, as well as summer programs), multiple teachers, multiple grade levels being taught and tuition charges,” Mueller wrote.

Sage Programs was registered in 1995 as Gateway Apprenticeship Program and is on the 1500 block of Upland Avenue, according to the Colorado Secretary of State’s office. Gateway’s 2024 tax filings show that it refers to itself as an educational organization under the federal Internal Revenue code.

Mueller outlined the building code violations that the city identified, including a number of unpermitted accessory dwelling units in a bar and a partially conditioned shed with an interior finishing “including electric,” according to the email.

The city also noted a “high risk of fire on the property” from stacks of “improperly stored materials.”

Sage Programs bills itself on Facebook as the Sage Hamilton Waldorf Inspired Homeschool Program.

The website for Sage Programs is locked and the phone number on its Facebook page appears to no longer be active. Scrolling through its Facebook page shows years-old fliers for programs ranging from a 2021 art and herbal camp for children ages 6 to 11, an 11-day performance camp in 2021 for the same age group and a three-day-a-week “Waldorf-inspired kindergarten” for children 4 to 6 years old from 2018-19.

Tuition for the art and herbal camp was $390 and the performance camp cost $815.

Many of last week’s comments praised Sage Programs’ approach and welcoming nature.

“They have tried to foster the humans, not the labels,” Aiyana Rutherford told the City Council. “…We’ve been part of Boulder for a long, long time, and we’re wondering, do the people that are running the city want programs and spaces like ours?”

Waldorf refers to the Waldorf educational philosophy, which emphasizes artistic, imaginative and practical skills. Sage Programs puts an emphasis on nature.

Mueller reiterated that city staffers are working with Sage Programs officials to amend the situation.