Latest News and Comment from Education

Sunday, March 17, 2013

State files charges against Phila. charter that opened in September - Philly.com

State files charges against Phila. charter that opened in September - Philly.com:



State files charges against Phila. charter that opened in September



POSTED: March 16, 2013




The Solomon Charter School only opened in September, but Pennsylvania's secretary of education filed charges Friday to revoke the operating charter of the Philadelphia-based cyber school for violating its charter and state law.
Secretary Ron Tomalis said the cyber school based at 1209 Vine St. was not meeting the requirement of offering a significant portion of its instruction to students online.
"Since opening its doors in September 2012, Solomon has primarily operated as a brick-and-mortar charter school, circumventing the brick-and-mortar charter school authorization process and negating the essential basis on which the charter was granted - that the school would provide a 'cyber' education to its students," Tomalis said in a statement.
He said Education Department officials visited the Vine Street headquarters three times. Each visit confirmed that Solomon was operating a regular charter school, and serving lunch and providing