Atlanta rejects rapper Pitbull's new charter school

The Atlanta school board voted Monday evening to reject applications from three new charter schools looking to open in the city, including one with ties to the rapper Pitbull.

The schools include SLAM Academy, part of a growing network of charter schools focused on sports supported by Pitbull; Atlanta Schools of the Arts; and Harriet Tubman School of Science and Technology, which would focus on computer science.

In recommending the denial of the applications, district officials cited various issues including insufficient knowledge of charter school laws and, in the case of SLAM Academy, an over-reliance on an outside management company.

SLAM Academy board chair Charlene Ellis said the school planned to appeal the denial to the state.

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