Fulton County Science Academy High School governing board chairman Randall Morgan said Tuesday the decision by Fulton County Schools to terminate the school’s charter and sever ties “is somewhat of a shock.”
Morgan, talking to reporters outside the Fulton County School Board meeting after the board voted unanimously to begin termination action against the school for numerous alleged offenses, said the school didn’t learn about the district’s concerns until Monday this week.
He said the school is still sorting through the allegations – “we’re going through this one by one” – and hasn’t decided whether to appeal the termination. If the school appeals, a hearing would be held before the Fulton School board Dec. 18.
Fulton Schools superintendent Robert Avossa told the Fulton Board Tuesday that the district has had “numerous issues” with the school dating back to 2007. Earlier this year the district did not renew the charter of the academy’s sister middle school, based on some of the same complaints about management, record-keeping and transparency now facing the high school.
Among the violations the district alleges is the school charged seniors $500 and required them to go on line for classes needed for graduation. Avossa did not detail the violations in his spoken presentation to the board. Morgan declined to comment on the particular violations the district alleges.
Avossa said school officials met with the schools board members Monday “to determine their options,” which include appealing the termination or voluntarily surrendering its charter next June. He said Fulton would make every accommodation for the schools approximately 250 students whether they decided to stay enrolled in the school or sought transfer to another Fulton school.
“There’s not going to be any problem absorbing them,” said Avossa.
Attorney Glenn Brock told the board that the ultimate decision whether the school will lose its charter rests with the State Board of Education if the school either doesn’t appeal or loses its appeal with the Fulton board. He said it could be spring before the State Board of Education makes its determination.
Tamar Faulhaber, the Alpharetta parent of a freshman at the school sent a lengthy email to the Fulton board Tuesday questioning many of the allegations. She said the failings cited by the superintendent were the actions of a previous governance board, which resigned last spring.
“Please do not terminate the charter for the shortcomings of prior management,” Faulhaber wrote. “Please work with the current board to allow the school to regain the ground lost and grow like it should.”
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