#ANOTHERDAYANOTHERCHARTERSCHOOLSCANDAL
LAUSD considering a policy to limit charter co-locations, prioritize vulnerable students
According to the proposal, LAUSD would also avoid charter co-location offers that “compromise district schools’ capacity to serve neighborhood children” or “grade span arrangements that negatively impact student safety and build charter school pipelines that actively deter students from attending district schools, so that the district can focus on supporting its most fragile students and schools, key programs, and student safety.”
California charter school task force formed in wake of fraud case
California State Controller Malia Cohen has agreed to chair a task force to establish audit criteria and best practices to detect and curtail charter school fraud following a case that cost the state hundreds of millions of dollars.
Audit: $1M misspent at Ezequial Tafoya Alvarado Academy
An “Extraordinary Audit” conducted by an educational management firm (FCMAT) has revealed suspected fraud at Ezequiel Tafoya Alvarado Academy, a Madera County charter school authorized by Madera Unified School District. (Every charter school in California must be sponsored by a school district).
Aspira to repay Philadelphia district roughly $3.5 million to settle charter enrollment dispute
The payment from Aspira, Inc., ends a yearslong legal dispute between the district and Aspira over whether the district can be required to pay charters for students that exceed their agreed-upon enrollment caps. Antonio Pantoja Charter School and Eugenio Maria de Hostos Charter School both enrolled more students than they had been authorized to for several years between 2016 and 2021 — when they did not have active charter agreements with the district.
Classroom, Church and State: Anaheim Officials Side With Residents, Block Charter School
On Sept. 12, city council members voted 5-1 to block a project that would convert a church near the Anaheim Coves nature park into a charter school – overturning a July ruling by city planning commissioners to allow the proposal to move forward.
Vanguard Collegiate charter school set to close in Oct. after citing low enrollment
Students and families who attend Vanguard Collegiate are now encouraged to look for other school options through Enroll Indy and a school enrollment fair will be held at Vanguard Collegiate on Sept. 29 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
North Valley Military Institute shuts down amid widespread controversy
The North Valley Military Institute — a grades six-12 charter school founded in 2013 — voluntarily surrendered its charter and closed its doors permanently on Aug. 25, leaving nearly 800 students and 180 employees in the Los Angeles area without a place to learn and work.
Religious charter schools are the latest front in the battle over ‘school choice’
Opponents, on the other hand, say religious charters would undermine one of America’s founding principles: that government funds should not endorse any one faith over another. They also worry that religious charters will discriminate against people of other faiths and LGBTQ students in ways that would be patently illegal for public schools.
Vanguard Collegiate of Indianapolis to close next month amid declining enrollment
Vanguard Collegiate of Indianapolis will close roughly two months into the school year, citing declining enrollment. It’s the second charter school in less than a year that has announced a closure during the school year, a practice that charter school accountability experts say causes disruptions for families who then scramble to find new schools. Since the state created the charter school law in 2001, 29 brick-and-mortar and blended learning charter schools in Marion County have closed, or roughly 30% of the 94 that have opened, according to a Chalkbeat analysis.
Utah charter school agrees to remedy restraint, seclusion concerns
An OCR investigation found significant underreporting of restraint and seclusion at Spectrum Academy, a charter program serving students with autism.
Cirrus Academy Charter School placed on probation, could lose charter next year, says state board
They also alleged the school’s website had transparency problems because board meeting minutes were not easily accessible. The commission also alleged the Cirrus Academy board didn’t follow state law when adopting the school’s FY24 budget.
Michigan: 36 Charter Schools Failing
About eight months ago, the Michigan Department of Education revealed that at least 36 charter schools are failing in the state of Michigan. Many other charter schools are considered close to “low-performing.” This is not a small number of charter schools. It is not unreasonable to assume that several dozen more charter schools are in troubled waters.
Charter Schools Can’t Claim to Be Public Anymore
A recently-passed bill in North Carolina allows the charter industry to screen students and charge tuition, just like a private school.
San Antonio charter school issues menstrual passes for bathroom breaks
“To protect our ladies from being limited by these bathroom procedures, we created a system for our students experiencing their menstruation cycle to access the bathroom, nurse, and supplies sufficiently,” the email from Headmaster Trinette Keffer reads. “We only ask that our students use it responsibly.”
The Charter-School Movement’s New Divide
In early June, a state board in Oklahoma did something that seemed obviously unconstitutional: It approved a new, openly Catholic charter school. Students at the proposed St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School would receive religious instruction, and the online school would participate in “the evangelizing mission of the Church,” according to St. Isidore’s application to the state. By law in Oklahoma, and in every state where charter schools are allowed, charters are public schools—they receive government funding and some state oversight, and they cannot discriminate against students and staff. St. Isidore would apparently be public, too, raising questions about whether it violates the First Amendment’s separation of church and state.