Chattanooga Preparatory School leaders tried to assuage parents’ fears about student credits during a meeting amid calls to revoke the school’s charter.
A video of the Friday meeting, taken by one of the parents in attendance, was submitted to the Chattanooga Times Free Press. Micah Bess, interim CEO; Ted and Kelly Alling, school founders; Autumn Adams, chief strategy officer; and Devonte Duff, social and emotional counselor, led the meeting.
“I think we just need to be transparent and honest, and we’re sorry,” Kelly Alling said near the start of the meeting. “We’re going to make it right.”
She told parents the school would finish the academic year strong and would be there next year, despite a March 12 letter from Hamilton County Schools Superintendent Justin Robertson saying he would recommend the school board revoke Chatt Prep’s charter.
Ted Alling had a slightly different attitude.
“It’s kind of interesting, this last week, we had a drop to the media that every one of our seniors has been accepted into a college,” Ted Alling said. “They didn’t share that. At all. Zero, OK?”
(READ MORE: Hamilton County school board discusses reducing the amount of benchmark testing)
He added that it was interesting that the “smear” attacks on the school, referencing reporting that investigated the school’s licensure issues after a teacher was arrested on charges of sexual exploitation of a minor, began “the next day.”
Chatt Prep announced the students’ college acceptance on the school’s social media accounts. The Chattanooga Times Free Press did not receive any news releases regarding that announcement.
Alling did not answer a phone call from the Times Free Press and declined to comment last week through a spokesperson.
Bess, the interim CEO, also reassured parents that the school was dedicated to finishing the academic year strong and laid out the changes in the administrative staff before passing the baton to Adams, the chief strategy officer.
“Although this is not where we expected to be as a leadership team, we are absolutely committed to understanding where the gaps are and creating a response plan that effectively addresses those gaps,” Adams said.
Chatt Prep told parents in a letter March 12 that the school hired an employment attorney, who is now working with Hamilton County Schools human resources staff, to audit employment practices.
“We are sorry that the wrong person was in the seat and that there have been mistakes made,” Adams said, “and that there are consequences to that, and we acknowledge that, we take ownership of that. We are going to be addressing it and specifically paying attention to human resources at this point.”
Bess and Adams said there will be many leadership updates in the days following the meeting, but that those announcements would be made in letters to parents.
(READ MORE: Amid tight budget year, Hamilton County school board considers student support staffing)
Bess said the school’s charter has not been revoked, but that Robertson has recommended the school board begin the process. The board has to vote on Robertson’s recommendation. If there is a majority vote to revoke the charter, the school would still operate through the end of the school year.
“We had a wonderful meeting with Hamilton County Schools,” Bess said. “Please know that we are committed to our partnership and collaboration with Hamilton County Schools to keep our doors open and to get our young men across the stage.”
Ted Alling read the statement that Hamilton County Schools released March 14 that said the system was hopeful all 50 seniors would graduate on time, but more deliberation was necessary before anything definitive could be said.
“They have worked really hard to earn every single grade that they have gotten to this point, and we are fully committed to ensuring that they graduate on time in May,” Bess said, answering a question from a parent about the validity of the seniors’ credits. “We are working with the district to audit all of the licensure and credential status for all of our faculty and our teachers here, but as Mr. Alling read in the statement, we feel very, very confident in the outcome of that audit.”
Parents were given the floor to ask questions, and many asked about the validity of credits and licenses.
A woman representing Chatt Prep, whose name was obscured by the quality of the video, told parents that the credits hinge on end of course exams, the high school standardized tests.
Not many courses require standardized tests, she said, but it is important that those exams and courses were administered by properly licensed teachers.
One parent wanted to know who was directly responsible for making sure that every teacher at the school was properly licensed.
“I want a clear-cut answer,” she said, and the audience of parents erupted into applause.
“We hear you,” Bess answered. “The person who is responsible for that is no longer employed by the organization.”
The investigation that revealed nearly half of Chatt Prep’s teachers were not licensed followed the arrest of former teacher Kenya White, who was charged with sexual exploitation of a minor and kidnapping after an investigation by Chattanooga police and the department of children’s services. The charges stem from incidents that occurred while White was employed by East Lake Academy, a magnet school in the Hamilton County school system.
Contact Kailee Shores at kshores@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6659.