Britt Thompson, Worthington

I am an intervention specialist and I worked at a charter school during the 2010-2011 school year. The two people in charge of this school were married and had no educational experience. They had no knowledge of child development, child psychology, educational policy or leadership. They had no business running a school. Their close family friend was the school board’s president. Their business partner was hired as an educational consultant. Everyone running the school knew each other and so they got away with more than they should have. I was interviewed, hired and began working as the intervention teacher all within a day’s time. I had a bad feeling from the beginning, but I needed a job. I thought I could help the school function. I felt a strong, immediate connection to my students and had a strong desire to stay and fight for their rights. I felt like I could make a difference.

I have so many stories to share from this teaching experience, but I am only going to focus on how my students and their parents were treated. The school served children in Kindergarten through Eighth Grade. I was the only special education teacher for all of the children on Individual Education Plans (IEPs) – students with a wide range of needs and abilities. I am licensed to teach special education K-12th grade. However, I was asked to serve students who had needs outside my licensure and specialty. There were students on IEPs who needed services from speech pathologists, occupational therapists, and physical therapists. There were several students with emotional disorders who needed services from a counselor and even a student who was blind. I am not licensed to teach any students with these specific needs. The school did not have a speech therapist, occupational therapist, physical therapist, counselor or psychologist on staff (not even on a consultation basis). I requested help for the students who were not being served according to their IEP. I wrote letters and called meetings with the “dean” to hire the needed specialists to serve our students. The students were not getting the services they needed, and more importantly, to which they were legally entitled. The “dean’s” response? As long as these positions were posted on Craig’s List, he believed school officials were covered. They had no intention of ever interviewing or eventually filling any of these positions. They continually reposted the positions to cover themselves. I suggested to the parents they pull their students from the school and move to a school which had the services their child needed. Some listened, some did not.

I sent out invitations to parents two weeks before their child’s IEP meeting to be sure they could attend and give their input on their child’s education. Several times, the “dean” kicked parents out of meetings or simply “uninvited” them without my knowledge. Parents were confused and felt like their rights were being stripped from them. They were right.

After about two months of faithfully advocating for my students, I made a critical decision. Enough was enough. Another brave teacher and I went to the school’s sponsor and blew the whistle on the school and the people “running” it. I was eventually “let go” once the people in charge figured out who ratted on them. The school closed before winter recess that same year. Every once in a while I find myself on Google looking for the couple who were in charge of the school just to make sure they haven’t started a new school and done the same thing to another helpless group of teachers, parents and students.

I hate to think back on this experience. But I often think of my former students and hope each child is getting the education he or she deserves, needs and has a right to. I tell my story in the hope that charter schools will be held accountable for the education of the students they serve.

Parents, please do not be fooled by clean uniforms, a long, fancy school name, gift cards to Walmart or fast-talking individuals who are running these “schools.” Ask questions, request a tour of the building, ask to see credentials, and make frequent visits to the school. If your child is on an IEP, call a meeting with the team (put it in writing) and be your child’s number one advocate in his or her educational journey.