Ahead of unification, Orleans school district formalizes warning system for charters
The Orleans Parish school district has started to use a system of warning letters similar to those sent by the state Department of Education to hold charter schools accountable for breaking education law and their charter contracts.
Alice M. Harte Charter School received the first letter from the local school district for refusing to admit a student about a month before the end of last school year.
The charter group’s CEO said he wanted to save the seat for the next round of seat assignments for this fall. He noted that some siblings of Harte students had been denied a spot in that grade in the first round of OneApp, the city’s centralized enrollment system.
Dina Hasiotis, the Orleans district’s executive director of school performance, told the school board’s accountability committee in June that the new system will formalize communication with charter schools that violate district, state or federal rules.
“It’s a way for us to formally inform the schools of a violation and also help manage if additional steps need to be taken related to the concern,” Hasiotis said.
The Lens was denied an interview with Hasiotis. Spokeswoman Dominique Ellis said no district staff members are allowed to speak with the media.
ORLEANS PARISH’S TWO-LEVEL WARNING SYSTEM SIMILAR TO THE STATE’S
Charter schools are publicly funded but privately run. To retain their charters, they must meet academic, financial and organizational standards.
For years, the state has issued a “notice of concern” when a charter school under its oversight violates certain rules, such as the state’s Open Meetings Law.
The state sends a “notice of breach” for more severe incidents, like systematically disenfranchising special education students.
The state can revoke or refuse to renew a school’s charter if the violations are egregious or school officials don’t do what’s required to correct the problem.
Recovery School District schools — at one point, most of the schools in the city — are slated to return to Orleans Parish control next Ahead of unification, Orleans school district formalizes warning system for charters | The Lens: