Some charter board members contend Andrews was not qualified to hold the management-level position. Torchlight’s Exceptional Children program was under the leadership of McQueen’s daughter, Shawntrice Andrews, when the violations occurred. An IEP ensures students with disabilities receive specialized instruction and related services. Allowing the ongoing self-dealing and conflicts of interest by the EMO, Torchlight Academy Schools LLC.Īs Policy Watch previously reported, claims that students’ Individualized Education Program (IEP) documents were altered in a student data management system monitored by the state triggered the investigation into McQueen’s management of Torchlight and Three Rivers.Department of Public Instruction with required documentation of expenditures of state and federal money and comply with other fiscal requirements. Failure to meet generally accepted standards of fiscal management, failure to provide the N.C.Violation of the charter agreement, including failure to produce requested documents, failure to provide adequate oversight and management of the school.Violations of laws and regulations, including special education laws and federal conflict of interest and self-dealing regulations.The violations led the Charter School Advisory Board (CSAB) to recommend terminating Torchlight’s charter. White read the list of violations found during the state Department of Public Instruction’s investigation. The Three Rivers’ board of directors has appealed the ruling. The state board cited academic, fiscal and operational shortcomings. In January, the state board terminated its charter agreement with Three Rivers Academy, a Bertie County charter school also managed by McQueen. Raleigh businessman Don McQueen operates the for-profit education management organization (EMO)-Torchlight Academy School, LLC- that manages Torchlight Academy. “A thorough investigation from multiple investigators within the Department of Public Instruction, presented information to the CSAB and this board, and the recommendation will be that we terminate the charter agreement between us and the Northeast Raleigh Academy doing business as Torchlight Academy,” said White, chair of the state board’s Education Innovation and Charter Schools Committee. SBE member Amy White said the decision to close the school was a difficult one. ![]() Stephon Bowens, the board’s attorney, did not return Policy Watch’s phone call before this story was published. It was unclear Thursday whether the school’s board plans to do so. Torchlight’s board of directors can appeal the state board’s decision. Many of Torchlight’s students live in Wake and surrounding counties. The decision could leave the parents and guardians of 600 students in grades K-8 scrambling to find new schools in the fall. This story originally published online at NC Policy Watch.Īfter an exhaustive, months-long investigation into management failures at Torchlight Academy, the State Board of Education (SBE) on Thursday voted to terminate its charter agreement with the troubled Raleigh charter school.
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