Imagine School of North Port

“Imagine School fight ends; principal to leave.” Herald-Tribune (FL), 5/9/2013

NORTH PORT - The agreement came at 1 a.m. Thursday for the two sides fighting for Imagine School at North Port after nearly 16 hours of talks...

It was an ending to the charter's contentious legal fight, which began in February when the North Port school tried to fire its parent company and become independent...

In February, Matthews and the local officials complained about paying hefty management fees with public tax dollars every year to the nonprofit company. The board voted to break off from Imagine Schools — one of the largest charter school companies in the nation — and run its own school, a move that the corporation viewed as a coup détat.

Legacy Charter School (Idaho)

“Former Legacy principal: Charter violated procedure.” Idaho Press-Tribune (ID), 3/14/2013

NAMPA — Former Legacy Charter School co-principal and teacher Monika Gangwer said she was fired after she blew the whistle on an effort to jump a student ahead on a post-lottery waiting list.

Antioch Charter Academy II

“East Bay teacher duct taped boy's mouth shut,claim alleges.” Contra Costa Times (CA), 2/20/2013

ANTIOCH -- The family of an 8-year-old boy filed a claim Tuesday alleging the boy's third-grade teacher duct-taped his mouth shut and that another teacher punished him by placing a chair over him and sitting on it in separate incidents earlier this school year.

The Project School

Bank foreclosing on former charter school property.” Indianapolis Business Journal (IN), 2/25/2013

Old National Bank is suing the operator of a charter school that closed last summer in Indianapolis, claiming it failed to pay off the $1.8 million balance on its mortgage.

Sherwood Charter School

“Sherwood parents intend to file claim against Sherwood Charter School.” The Oregonian (OR), 3/15/2013

Three parents of current and former students at Sherwood Charter School intend to file a tort claim against the school.

In a letter of intent dated March 15, the parents' attorney alleges the school board did not protect students against a fellow student's death threats, threats of sexual assault and violence...

Baxter Academy of Technology and Science

“Portland charter school, ousted founder settle legal dispute.” Maine Sunday Telegram (ME), 4/10/2013

PORTLAND — Portland’s first charter school and its founder, who was fired by the board of directors, have settled their legal disputes, both parties announced Tuesday...

The school and Jaques voluntarily dismissed the legal dispute with prejudice, which means both parties agree not to file any further claims associated with the dispute...

Ricardo Flores Magon Academy

“Marcos Martinez, head of Ricardo Flores Magon Academy, resigns his post.” Denver Westword (CO), 3/8/2012

Marcos Martinez, the controversial founder of the Ricardo Flores Magon Academy and subject of our cover story "A Hard Line," has resigned. So, too, have two other employees whom the school's board of trustees asked to take a paid leave while they investigated complaints against them. The school is now searching for a new leader.

Tennessee Virtual Academy

“TN virtual school draws criticism.” The Tennessean (TN), 9/10/2012

As state officials lambaste the Tennessee Virtual Academy for low achievement scores and discuss new oversight methods, the school’s management company is facing an investigation in Florida, overcoming a list of citations issued in Georgia and recovering from reports of poor results in many of its schools.

The virtual academy allows students in grades K-8 to take all their classes online, monitored by a certified teacher. It is managed by K12 Inc., a publicly traded for-profit company that has contracts for differing levels of involvement with at least 2,000 other schools across the nation.

In its first year, the Tennessee academy ranked among the bottom 4 percent of districts in the state on a measure that shows student progress from year to year.

State Rep. Joe Pitts, D-Clarksville, called the school “a risky experiment that blew up in our face.”...

Downtown Miami Charter School

“Lawsuit Alleges Sexual Assault At Charter School.” CBSMiami (FL), 7/2/2012

The Downtown Miami Charter School knew that a seven year-old student was being bullied and sexually abused by an 11 year-old student and failed to prevent it from recurring. That is the gist of a lawsuit filed Monday in Miami-Dade circuit court on behalf of “John Doe,” the alleged seven year-old victim...

Victory Preparatory Academy

“No Fair, Teachers Tell Charter School.” Courthouse News Service, 7/18/2012

HOUSTON (CN) - A charter school fired three teachers "immediately" after they testified in a lawsuit against the Texas Education Agency, the teachers claim in Harris County Court.

Charles Solaris, Sedalia Pippins and Randy Nichols sued Victory Prep Charter School and its Superintendent Reverend Lisa Berry Dockery. According to the complaint, Victory Prep is a public charter school in Houston, managed by Management Accountability Corp., which is not a party to the complaint.

The teachers say Victory Prep hired them in October 2010 after Texas shut down Benji's Special Education Academy, a Houston charter school for disabled students, amid allegations of mismanagement and missing state funds.

Victory Prep signed them all to 1-year contracts on Aug. 15, 2011 and fired them three days later, the teachers say.

Mission Charter School

“A Fairly Strong Claim of Discrimination.” Courthouse News Service, 4/25/2012     

PHOENIX (CN) - A black, Jewish principal claims a charter school fired her after subjecting her to intolerable treatment: setting up a Holocaust exhibit outside her office, forcing her to walk past a swastika and "to go into the gas chamber in order to go into her office."

Millicient McNeil sued the Mission Charter School in Maricopa County Court.

She claims the school board ignored her complaints about the swastika in the hall, along with a photo of a lever used to drop chemicals into gas chambers, and the words "Majdanek Bad Und Desinfektion"-referring to the "bath and disinfection" gas chamber at the Majdanek concentration camp.

McNeil claims the school's conduct was "extreme and outrageous" and that it "either intended to cause emotional distress or recklessly disregarded the near certainty that such distress would result from the conduct."...

McNeil seeks $750,000 in general and compensatory damages, and $1.25 million in punitive damages, for breach of contract, wrongful termination, and negligent supervision, among other claims. She is represented by Lisa Aubuchon of Tempe.

Mavericks High of Palm Beach County

“Audit claims Palm Springs charter school got nearly $160K more in state money by overstating enrollment.” Palm Beach Post (FL), 1/6/2013

A Palm Beach County charter school got nearly $160,000 more in state education money than it was entitled to receive after overstating 2011-12 enrollment, a draft audit released last week by the school district’s inspector general claims.

According to the draft audit from Inspector General Lung Chiu, Mavericks High School in Palm Springs counted and was given funds for at least 56 students who did not attend the school at all during two 11-day “survey periods” last year required by the state Department of Education. The survey periods are used to establish enrollment figures on which the department bases its per-student funding to schools.

Mavericks, a West Palm Beach-based chain of seven Florida charter schools, offers live and online classes and caters to at-risk students. It’s perhaps best known for its president and chief development officer, Frank Biden, brother of Vice President Joe Biden.

Chiu’s office began investigating the school after a former teacher — Angenora Mechato — filed a lawsuit in April alleging that Mavericks fabricates enrollment data and that she was fired for refusing to falsify records. Two teachers at the Mavericks school in Homestead have made similar allegations in lawsuits. The Miami attorney for all three teachers, Dale Morgado, could not be reached for comment...

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“Lawsuit alleges high school asked teacher to fabricate grades in classes students didn't take.” The Palm Beach Post, (FL), 4/14/2012  

PALM SPRINGS — A former teacher at the new Mavericks High School in Palm Springs has filed a lawsuit alleging that the school falsifies enrollment records and fabricates student grades in classes the students did not take.

The lawsuit, filed by Angenora Mechato, is the third such whistleblower lawsuit to be filed by former employees of the chain of Florida charter schools. The chain is run by a for-profit management company based in West Palm Beach, Mavericks In Education Florida LLC...

New Heights Academy

“Fired exec: Charter-school chief fudged books.” New York Post (NY), 3/21/2012

The founder of one of the city’s largest charters schools falsified financial records and okayed illegal construction work while serving as its principal, according to a whistleblower suit filed by a former school exec.

Stacy Winitt, executive director of the New Heights Academy in upper Manhattan, allegedly justified her shady practices by claiming her school was “too small to get caught,” court papers charge.

Former COO Gene Fisch Jr. says he was fired after warning two members of the board of directors “that submitting false numbers to the government based on fabricated and forged documents amounted to misappropriation of funds and that ‘someone could go to jail.’”

New Heights, which has about 760 students in grades 5 through 12, budgeted $888,000 in federal grants and $11.7 million in state grants last year, according to its annual report.

Fisch’s Manhattan federal court suit seeks unspecified damages, including twice his lost wages, for retaliation and breach of contract.

Fisch says he uncovered “serious financial misconduct” after being hired by New Heights in July 2008, and refused to sign off on its annual audit because “the numbers used for the audit were not credible.”

He also says Winitt ordered demolition work inside the building at 1818 Amsterdam Ave. without a permit, “with the intention not only to deliberately violate the law, but to do so deceitfully.”...

Manatee School for the Arts

“US Department of Labor's OSHA sues Manatee School for the Arts for violating OSH Act whistleblower protection provisions; Employee of Palmetto, Fla., school allegedly fired for complaining about safety issues.” U.S. Department of Labor press release, 3/12/2012

PALMETTO, Fla. – The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has sued Renaissance Arts and Education Inc., doing business as Manatee School for the Arts in Palmetto, to reinstate a former employee with full back wages and benefits. The lawsuit results from an OSHA investigation that found the privately-run charter school had unlawfully and intentionally terminated the worker's employment for voicing and reporting concerns regarding hazards in the school's two theaters – activities that are protected by the whistleblower protection provisions of Section 11(c) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act.

"Employees who identify safety and health concerns in the workplace are protected by the law, and when these rights are violated, OSHA will take action," said Cindy Coe, the agency's regional administrator in Atlanta. "We will not tolerate disregard for employees' safety and health or the violation of whistleblower protections."

On June 20, 2009, the employee submitted a letter to his direct supervisor that addressed alleged safety hazards, specifically, improperly placed extension cords and a lack of sprinkler systems. The school did not respond to the letter. On July 14, the employee filed a complaint with OSHA reporting the same concerns. After OSHA communicated with the school, on July 30, the employee disputed the school's response to the safety complaint, and the employee was notified that his position was being terminated. On Aug. 4, OSHA performed a safety inspection and cited the school for safety violations related to the employee's expressed concerns.

The Labor Department's suit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, Tampa Division, asks for an order that includes a permanent injunction against the school to prevent future violations of the OSH Act. It also seeks the reinstatement of the former employee with full benefits; payment of back wages, punitive damages and compensatory damages; removal of references to the matters at issue in this case from the employee's personnel file; and any other appropriate relief. The Labor Department's Regional Office of the Solicitor in Atlanta is representing OSHA in court.

OSHA enforces the whistleblower provisions of Section 11(c) of the OSH Act and 20 other statutes protecting employees who report violations of various securities, trucking, airline, nuclear, pipeline, environmental, rail, maritime, health care, consumer product and food safety laws.

Under the various whistleblower provisions enacted by Congress, employers are prohibited from retaliating against employees who raise various protected concerns or provide protected information to the employer or to the government. Employees who believe they have been retaliated against for engaging in protected conduct may file a complaint with the secretary of labor for an investigation by OSHA's Whistleblower Protection Program. Detailed information on employee whistleblower rights, including fact sheets, is available online at http://www.whistleblowers.gov.

To ask questions, obtain compliance assistance, file a complaint, or report workplace hospitalizations, fatalities or situations posing imminent danger to workers, the public should call OSHA's toll-free hotline at 800-321-OSHA (6742) or the agency's Jacksonville Area Office at 904-232-2895.

Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing safe and healthful workplaces for their employees. OSHA's role is to ensure these conditions for America's working men and women by setting and enforcing standards, and providing training, education and assistance. For more information, visit http://www.osha.gov.

Harmony Science Academy - Houston Northwest

“Texas Charter School Accused of Racism.” Courthouse News Service, 12/13/2012

HOUSTON (CN) - A Houston charter school made minority students clean toilets with toothbrushes, and a teacher told an 8-year-old student "she could not be in the front of the line .... because black people should be in the back of the line," her parents claim in Federal Court.

Darrel and Donna Davis sued the Harmony Science Academy NW, three of its teachers, its principal and assistant principal on behalf of their daughter, L.

Pembridge Prep, Inc Charter School (attempt)

“Bradentonschool owner facing lawsuits applies for charter school.” WTSP News (FL), 8/11/2011

Built as a storage facility, the building at 7710 Cortez Road is being turned into what may be used as a school. The storage facility now has half a dozen classrooms and bathrooms for students up to 12th grade. The new school is the plan of Bradenton business man Hendrik Lamprecht. He's applied for a charter school with the Manatee County school district.

"He's not a man who is an educator never been a teacher if he's suppose to be finance man his proven track record shows he's not reliable," says Cheryl Gaynor, she's one of 13 teachers suing Lamprecht for 10's of thousands of dollars in back pay from their teaching days at the now foreclosed Bradenton Prep Academy. Gaynor says Lamprecht, who served as the school's CEO, owes her close to "$25,000."

Ten News has been following Lamprecht's financial troubles since last year. It began when Bradenton Prep Academy hired him to help the school fix its finances. Except former teachers like Gaynor say he made the problems worst. Bradenton Prep Academy foreclosed last summer. Lamprecht reportedly owed $1,000,000 in federal payroll taxes according to the IRS. He faced code enforcement and permitting issues, law suits from teachers, an investor, and parents for tuition refunds and playing football players over the age limit...

If approved by the Manatee County School Board, Lamprecht will open The Pembridge Prep, Inc Charter School in August 2012. This school would be for low performing students using a virtual school curriculum. Lamprecht would receive between $3,869 per student from state taxpayers. If approved, Lamprecht's projects having more than 900 students enrolled by the 5th year.

The charter application says Lamprecht's business Monolex USA Trading Limited will pay for all the building and development costs for the new school. The expenses break down like this according to the charter application: Rental, $13,500 per month, plus $665,000 for additional facilities, curriculum material and technology enhancement. The 665-thousand dollars from Monolex would also pay for $100,000 in renovations of a facility described as "church property" but an address is not indicated. He plans to use grand funding where available...

Ten News spoke with Hendrik Lamprecht over the telephone. He said the earliest he can speak with Ten News on camera would be the week of August 22nd. Even then he says he'll only talk about the charter school he wants to open up and not about any pending litigation. But the last time we set up a meeting with Lamprecht it did not go well.

In July of last year our photojournalist went to Bradenton Prep for a 10 a.m. scheduled interview Lamprecht was not happy to see us. The photographer says Lamprecht came up from behind and hit him over the head. Lamprecht apologized, but did not keep the interview. Ten News will try again later this month.

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More @ “Bradenton Prep investor wants charter school.” Bradenton Herald (FL), 8/11/2011

http://www.bradenton.com/2011/08/11/3412989/prep-investor-wants-to-start-charter.html

Princeton House Charter School

“Princeton House charter faces second restraint lawsuit; Family says staff 'abused,' 'humiliated' and frightened their 6-year-old daughter, who was bruised while being restrained.” Orlando Sentinel (FL), 7/29/2011

Princeton House Charter School, which this spring settled a lawsuit alleging abuse of a student, has been sued by a second family.

In the new suit, two parents, identified only by their initials, say that their 6-year-old daughter was badly bruised while being restrained at the school in January and that she was grabbed and dragged by staff in November.

The Orlando school, which serves students with moderate to severe autism, in spring settled a 2010 suit that alleged a 15-year-old boy was injured by staff. A settlement of $74,465.74 was placed into a special-needs trust for Rose and Lawrence Casto's son, Christopher, and the parents were awarded an additional $20,000...

"They just abused my son, hiding behind the word 'restraint,'" Rose Casto said at the time. Restraint is a controversial practice of physically holding students with disabilities when they act out...

The new lawsuit, which was filed in federal court this month, also centers on the use of restraint.

In the January incident, the lawsuit alleges that the student suffered extensive bruising after a staff member pulled her sweater over the back of a special wooden chair. The chair, known as a Rifton chair, is intended to support and hold students who can't sit well on their own...

In the November incident, the same child was forced into a fabric tunnel, which made her panic, and later was dragged and forced onto a trampoline during a class activity, the lawsuit alleges. The suit says the staff at the school were not properly trained and that the school knew of "the unlawful abuse, restraint and seclusion of its special-needs students" and failed to act...

However, Daniel Cotter, an attorney for the girl's family, said the suit also aims to draw attention to what he called "systemic problems at this institution."...

Linden Charter Academy

“Teacher wins $500K judgment in suit vs. Linden Charter Academy over firing because of racial joke.” Flint Journal (MI), 7/19/11

MT. MORRIS TOWNSHIP, Michigan — A charter school organization is weighing an appeal after a jury awarded more than $500,000 to a former Linden Charter Academy teacher who was fired for what his attorney said was a racial joke...

The school referred all comment to its parent company, the Grand Rapids-based National Heritage Academies...

Lenhoff said Hecht heard many black employees at Linden Charter Academy make racial jokes and that they were not punished.

Hecht had an excellent record on racial relations and had no prior record of any issues with the school, Lenhoff said.

According to the lawsuit, the teacher’s aide complained to the principal and Hecht was called into the office. Lenhoff said Hecht apologized to the teacher’s aide in the meeting...

Hecht, who had worked at the school for more than eight years, is now working as a machine operator at Dow Corning Corp. in Midland and has been unable to get hired for a teaching position.

Choice Scholarship Pilot Program

“Judge halts Dougco voucher pilot.” Education News Colorado, 08/13/2011

A Denver judge has granted a motion to halt the Douglas County voucher pilot pending further court action, a ruling that could send hundreds of students back to district schools.

In a 68-page ruling issued late Friday afternoon, District Court Judge Michael Martinez finds merit in six of eight legal challenges raised by attorneys representing a handful of Dougco parents and groups including the American Civil Liberties Union.

“This court is not prepared to mandate that Colorado taxpayers fund private religious education,” the judge wrote, noting the voucher plan “violates both financial and religious provisions” of the Colorado Constitution...

Some of the students already have started classes at their private schools and about $300,000 in voucher payments have gone out, Barber said. It was not immediately clear whether the judge’s ruling means the private schools will have to return those dollars.

If so, some private school leaders have lamented the impact on their schools. Terry Martin, academic director of Woodlands Academy, said she may have to lay off teachers. Kurt Unruh, head of Valor Christian School, said in an affidavit filed in court last week that as many as 40 students would not be able to attend without vouchers.

So Valor, which charges $13,950 in annual tuition, “stands to lose $558,000 in annual revenue, which would be a substantial financial hardship,” he said...

Douglas County school board members voted 7-0 on March 15 to launch the pilot, the first serious effort in Colorado to create a voucher plan since the Colorado Supreme Court struck down a 2003 effort by state lawmakers.

The state’s highest court did not address religion in its ruling, deciding the 2003 plan was unconstitutional because it stripped locally elected school boards of their constitutional control over instruction.

But Martinez tackles religion head-on in his decision, finding a clear violation of the constitutional prohibition against using public money “in aid of any church” or “for any sectarian purpose.” This provision is known as the Blaine amendment.

At least 16 of the 21 private schools participating in the voucher plan are religious and the pilot places no limits on the schools’ use of public money to support or promote religion.

“In fact, because of the interplay between the participating private school partners’ curriculum and religious teachings, any funding of the private schools, even for the purpose of providing education, would further the sectarian purpose of religious indoctrination,” the judge wrote...

Dougco’s voucher pilot has drawn national attention, in part because it involves an affluent district with high-performing schools. Most voucher programs nationally target students with special needs or those from low-income families...

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"Douglas County School District to create faux charter school.” 9News (CO), 7/13/11

CASTLE ROCK - There will be no classrooms full of students. There will be no staff of teachers. The sign outside indicates that the location is the school district headquarters. Yet, this will be the location of Douglas County's newest charter school.

"We had to find a way to do this," Randy Barber, media and events director for the Douglas County School District, said.

The district is trying to establish the first widespread school voucher system in Colorado history. Dubbed the Choice Scholarship Pilot Program, 500 students have been selected to receive 75 percent of their per-pupil funding to pay for private school tuition. The remaining 25 percent will be kept by the district.

Groups such as the American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado and Taxpayers for Public Education have sued Douglas County. Out of the 19 private schools eligible to receive students, 14 of them are religious schools. The lawsuits allege diverting public money to religious schools is against Colorado law...

Barber says the charter school will be used as a mechanism to administer the voucher program...

The students in the Choice Scholarship Program will technically be enrolled in this charter school even though they will really be attending classes at the private school of their choice...

"They are setting up a sham charter school, which is a public school, and they are using this sham charter as a flow through of funds from the state to the private schools," Kleinkopf said.

Barber says the Choice Scholarship Program will not provide money directly to the private schools which, he says, makes their program different - and legal.

"If the money is given to a parent, and then they make the choice, that money can go to any private school including those that are religious," Barber said...

"We want to be a model for other school districts throughout the country, not just here in Colorado," Barber said...

William E. Doar Jr. Public Charter School for the Performing Arts

“D.C. charter school slaps founders with lawsuit, restraining orders.” Washington Examiner, 7/5/11 

The founders of a District charter school have been in an escalating feud with the school's board of directors over control of the Northeast campus that has spawned a lawsuit and prompted a judge to slap the school's former principal with a restraining order.

But as the battle over William E. Doar Jr. Public Charter School for the Performing Arts heads for a Superior Court hearing Thursday, the founders, the William E. Doar, Jr. Educational Foundation, now say they will quit the fight...

It's a stark turnaround after months of infighting between the school's board of directors and its founders, who in May claimed that they had dissolved the board of directors.

In the letter, Mary Robbins, former principal of the upper school, along with founders Nadia Casseus-Torney and Julie S. Doar-Sinkfield, charged the board chairman with "blurring the lines between management and governance of the current board as evidenced by ... his attempts to influence day to day operations, oversee personnel and management decisions around attendance, creation of a hostile work place and the attempt to exercise line item approval over school based expenditures."

The founders then told parents and teachers to ignore an emergency meeting called by the directors, dubbing it an "unauthorized and uninsured meeting of former Board members," according to the lawsuit...