![]() Sources: Oklahoma State Department of Education public records, California School Information Services audit. In 2013, Epic was investigated on allegations of fraud at the request of Gov. Department of Education’s Office of the Inspector General have conducted investigations into Epic recently, according to the Tulsa World. Investigations: Both the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Epic Youth Services is a for-profit company that manages Epic Charter Schools and is owned by Chaney and Harris. A subsidiary, Community Strategies-CA, a not-for-profit LLC, contracts with Panola and Epic California. Structure: Epic Charter Schools is the business name for the nonprofit, 501(c)3 Community Strategies Inc. Epic also manages operations for Panola Public Schools. Locations: Epic operates online schools in Oklahoma (statewide) and California (in five counties), as well as three centers that blend virtual and in-person learning in Oklahoma City and Tulsa. ![]() Started: In 2011 by businessmen David Chaney and Ben Harris. “I felt it was very unethical, at the least, for teachers to be able to withdraw students so easily, especially when money is involved,” said Angie Wren, who taught for Epic in 2016.Įnrollment: More than 21,000 students as of October 2018. Then parents could, and often did, quickly re-enroll, the teachers say. Teachers had the ability to withdraw students themselves from their own computers with “a click of a button,” said Ensley, who resigned in January. “There was always a carrot dangling,” said former Epic teacher Amanda Ensley, who is not among the four who have taken legal action. They say the school still owes them all or part of the bonus payment, which can amount to tens of thousands of dollars. The four former teachers filing the claim notices say they were fired for pushing back against pressure to manipulate their student rosters. The intent-to-sue notices, provided to Epic by a Norman law firm, say the school’s bonuses drove decisions on student withdrawals and other academic choices involving students. She provided data showing only 8 percent of tested students in 2017-18 were withdrawn because of a gap in enrollment, saying it showed Epic didn’t try to manipulate test accountability.īut three former teachers contacted independently by Oklahoma Watch described similar withdrawal practices while working for the school. More Than Half of Epic Students Were Not Counted As Full-YearĪn Epic spokeswoman denies the school allows or pushes teachers or principals to withdraw students for bonus pay or accountability gains. Former Epic Teachers Describe Pressure to Manipulate Enrollment - Oklahoma Watch Close
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