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11 0005 66%
Cleveland American
Former Epic Teachers Sue For Wrongful Termination
ONE IS FROM
PAWNEE COUNTY
By Nuria Martinez-Keel
The Oklahoman
(Ran on Sept. 4, 2019)
Two former teachers have
alleged they were wrong-
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a statement. “I cannot com-
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test scores and attendance.
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 Choctaw Times

Sep
11

2019

Page
A004
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resized
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Property of OPS News Tracker and members of the Oklahoma Press Association.
 Clip
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11 A005 48%

Choctaw Times

Property of OPS News Tracker and members of the Oklahoma Press Association.
 The Edmond Sun

A4

Competition
works
H
ere’s a statement few
people will dispute:
Competition works. Yet

Sep when it comes to education,

some policymakers and most
public school employees act as
11 though the way to improve the
quality of service to families
and their children is to limit
their taxpayer-funded choices
to just one
2019 local option.
Proof to the
contrary can
be seen in the
Page rash of schools
now offering
A004 100-percent
online educa-
tion.
Clip For several
Jonathan years now, a
resized Small handful of
online charter
27% OCPA President schools have
offered stu-
dents an
online educa-
tion. The
biggest and most well-known
of those providers has been
Epic Charter Schools.
Parents have been choosing
online learning even though
the per-pupil spending at
online charter schools is signif-
icantly less than the per-pupil
spending at a traditional brick-
and-mortar public school.
The number of people pur-
suing K-12 learning online in
Oklahoma is astounding. Epic
alone reports roughly 24,000
students statewide this year.
Those families have chosen
online learning for many dif-
ferent reasons, but some of
the most commonly cited are
the greater range of course
offerings, the special needs of
children, and bullying prob-
lems at local schools.
Chances are you know a
family with children who have
benefitted from online
schooling. Because state fund-
ing follows students, the exo-
dus to online charter schools
has had financial conse-
quences for traditional dis-
tricts. Now those schools have
been forced to step up their
game.
At Sapulpa, the local school
is offering a virtual academy
that provides students “full or
partial online delivery of
instruction with an element of
student control over the time,
place, path and/or pace of
learning.”
Sound familiar?
Noble Public Schools’ virtu-
al academy provides a 100-
percent online education but
still lets online students par-
ticipate in extracurricular
activities such as sports, band
and chorus.
Norman Public Schools now
offers students “the flexibility
to complete all of their
coursework outside the tradi-
tional school building”
through online learning.
Union Public Schools has
launched Union Virtual for
students in grades 6-12. Sand
Springs offers online learning.
Broken Arrow offers a full-
time online program. So does
Lawton. So does Ponca City.
And so do others. The list goes
on and on.
This is a huge change occur-
ring across Oklahoma to the
benefit of students and their
families. And the rapid pace of
this change is being driven by
competition from just a hand-
ful of online charter schools.
Policymakers should not
simply celebrate this success
but build on it by expanding
school-choice opportunities.
If the modest level of compe-
tition produced by a small
group of online providers can
create this kind of change,
imagine what would happen if
Oklahoma had a truly robust
education market competing
for all students. Then the
boom in online learning
would be only a hint of better
things to come.

JONATHAN SMALL serves as presi-

dent of the Oklahoma Council of Public
Affairs (www.ocpathink.org).
© 2019 THE EDMOND SUN

Property of OPS News Tracker and members of the Oklahoma Press Association.
 El Reno Tribune

Critic of virtual schools has degree from online university

Sep By RAY CARTER
Center for
unrecognized place
that basically is doing
Education who told
him the degree would
Independent Journalism
11 A state senator who
portfolio analysis.”
In his book,
be legal in Oklahoma.
Sharp, who spent his
has been a prominent “How to Sweet Talk career as a coach and
critic of Oklahoma’s a Shark,” former U.S. teacher prior to being
2019 virtual charter Ambassador to the elected to the Senate,
schools for K-12 United Nations Bill said the virtual model
students, particularly Richardson writes fit his schedule better
Page Epic Charter Schools,
holds a doctorate
that the trophy room
of North Korean
in the 1980s than
attending courses at
A003 from a for-profit online
university that was
dictator Kim il-Sung
was filled with gifts
OU.
“For me to get in
Clip subsequently closed bequeathed by “a OU, I had to do a year’s
amid claims it was a cavalcade of failed residency,” Sharp said.
resized diploma mill. states” and contained “And then of course
35% Sen. Ron Sharp said only a “sole gift from I also had a problem:
the two situations are and misuse of state in April 1996, the Among the the United States — The last class started
not identical. funds” by Epic. He paper found “the council’s findings, an honorary degree at 4 (p.m.). So I could
“There’s a little bit said he had been entire campus” the group concluded from Kensington not make it from
difference here,” said “working to address was “housed in a that Kensington University.” school out here at
Sharp, R-Shawnee. the questionable small Glendale office awarded degrees for “Good thing Shawnee.”
“I paid for that. I got practices and lack building” and reported substandard work and Kim il-Sung never In Oklahoma, the
permission prior to it. of oversight and that California state without completion of made it to Texas, minimum salary for
And then of course accountability for regulators said the required courses, and it is illegal to use teachers rises with
here (with Epic), this three years now.” school’s advanced that faculty members a degree from degree attainment.
is state money here While Sharp degrees “may have were sometimes not Kensington University When Kensington
that is paying for this. wrote that he does little if any academic qualified to teach the in the Lone Star closed in 1996, it
And you’re also not question the value.” courses they led. State,” Richardson reportedly cost about
dealing with an adult quality of education The Times reported California wrote. “Seriously.” $4,500 to complete a
versus a child, and provided through Epic, that a 1994 state review Council for Private When questioned doctoral program at
to think that a pre-K that hasn’t been the found Kensington Postsecondary and about the degree the school.
to an 18-year-old is case when regulators had “awarded a Vocational Education during his “I got permission
going to sit in front of reviewed the distance- doctoral candidate Vice Chair Elana 2012 campaign, from everyone before
a computer without learning degree in psychology credit Ackel, an attorney, Sharp provided I ever entered into it,”
mom or daddy sitting programs offered by for reading magazine told the Times, letters from state Sharp said. “I got
here over their Kensington University. articles and doing “The violations are officials in Oklahoma permission after I
shoulder is not going Regulators raised about a dozen short substantial and they and California that got it that it was a
to happen.” numerous concerns reaction papers.” go to the quality of declared Kensington legitimate degree.
When Sharp first about quality, Also, “one the education. When University was a And I worked myself
ran for office in 2012, oversight and education program you have violation recognized academic to death. So I have no
his announcement accountability. graduate’s master’s after violation after program at that time. regrets about doing
stated that he had Kensington was thesis was replete violation, you have In an interview, it.”
a “doctorate in founded in California with factual errors, to ask, ‘When is Sharp repeated Sharp said his
education with in 1976. But the regulators found.” enough?’” those arguments. criticism of Epic has
an emphasis in California Council for A January 1996 Martin S. Roden, At that time, he said to do with concerns
political science Private Postsecondary Los Angeles Times an associate dean a University of that the school may
from Kensington and Vocational article on Kensington of engineering at Oklahoma official be double-counting
University.” Sharp Education found University reported California State encouraged him to students and that
obtained the doctorate deficiencies in a 1994 that the California University at Los get an online degree. instructional quality
in 1989. review and the school Council for Private Angeles, was among Sharp said he may be lacking.
In recent years, was ordered closed by Postsecondary and those who received then contacted a “I have no problem
Sharp has been state officials in 1996. Vocational Education a degree from higher education whatsoever with a
a vocal critic of It subsequently moved had concluded that Kensington University. official in California virtual degree,” Sharp
Oklahoma’s virtual to Hawaii and resumed “little or no rigor In a 2004 interview who assured him said.
charter schools, business in 1996 but or credible academic with the Chronicle of a Kensington “None. If you have
saying “millions of was again closed by standards are of Higher Education, degree’s validity. a parent who is willing
taxpayer dollars” are a 2003 court order. necessary in order he was blunt in his Sharp said he also to put forth the effort
being spent on online When the to be awarded assessment of the contacted officials to make sure that
schools “with little Los Angeles an advanced school, calling it at the Oklahoma student is doing their
to no accountability Times reported on degree at Kensington “a second-rate, Department of work, then go for it.”
of expenditures, Kensington University University.”
attendance or student
performance.”
In particular,
Sharp has criticized Sunday
Brunch 6DWXUGD\
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Epic Charter Schools,
which has been
the target of
fraud allegations.
Officials with the
school have denied
10AM-2PM 6HSWHPEHUɷDP
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the allegations and
no charges have been
filed.
Bucket of
In a recent
column, Sharp wrote Bubbles! 6(//(57+(0$5*$5(75<$175867:DWFKIRU$XFWLRQ6LJQV
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but the unethical, Overcomer PG $ :HOO %XLOW %ULFN +RPH LQ DQ HVWDEOLVKHG QHLJKERU
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and possibly illegal,
enrollment practices
(12:45*), 3:45*, 6:45, [9:45]
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Property of OPS News Tracker and members of the Oklahoma Press Association.
 Yukon Progress

Competition works
By Jonathan Small
Here’s a statement few people will dispute:
Competition works. Yet when it comes to educa-
tion, some policymakers and most public school
employees act as though the way to improve the
Sep quality of service to families and their children
is to limit their taxpayer-funded choices to just
11 one local option.
Proof to the contrary can be seen in the rash of
2019 VFKRROVQRZR൵HULQJSHUFHQWRQOLQHHGXFD-
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For several years now, a handful of online
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lies. And the rapid pace of this change is being
driven by competition from just a handful of on-
line charter schools.
Policymakers should not simply celebrate this
success, but build on it by expanding school-
choice opportunities. If the modest level of com-
petition produced by a small group of online
providers can create this kind of change, imag-
ine what would happen if Oklahoma had a truly
robust education market competing for all stu-
dents. Then the boom in online learning would
be only a hint of better things to come.
Jonathan Small serves as president of the
2NODKRPD&RXQFLORI3XEOLF$ৼDLUVwww.ocpa-
think.org).

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:D\WRJRIRONV.HHSLWXS

Property of OPS News Tracker and members of the Oklahoma Press Association.
 Clip
Sep 2019 Page resized
11 0011 89%

The Sayre Record & Beckham County Democrat

Property of OPS News Tracker and members of the Oklahoma Press Association.
 Weatherford Daily News

Sep
11
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Property of OPS News Tracker and members of the Oklahoma Press Association.
 Clip
Sep 2019 Page resized
11 A007 41%

Woodward News
Wednesday, September 11, 2019 WOODWARD NEWS Page 7A

More school districts offer virtual programs

By Mia Mamone other web sources indi-
Oklahoma Watch cates at least 20 districts
offer such programs.
Melanie Brungardt’s Supplemental online
four children were frus- courses have been avail-
trated at school. able in traditional
Brungardt, of schools since at least
Oklahoma City, said 2010 and are required by
some Putnam City law. But more students
Schools classes had too and parents are seeking
many students, and full-time virtual educa-
teachers were forced to tion, and districts are
spend more time on reshaping their models
behavioral issues and to accommodate them.
less time on instilling The programs offer
knowledge. She under- advantages over virtual
stood teachers’ chal- charter schools because
lenges, but “as a parent, students retain access to
you hate sending your campus amenities such
kid to school all day to as libraries, gyms, clubs,
not learn anything.” and sports and arts pro-
The family considered grams. This allows stu-
homeschooling but dents to stay connected
decided against it — and to their community,
ruled out virtual charter school leaders say.
schools — because her Students can customize a
kids didn’t want to miss blend of online and in-
out on sports and band. person classes.
So they opted for some- “It’s about choice and
thing else: Putnam City’s what fits the kids,” said
own full-time virtual Jay Rotert, director of
program. Sand Springs Virtual
In recent years, most Academy, which began
of the attention with offering a fully virtual
online education has K-12 program this year.
been on virtual charter Some school officials
schools such as Epic, say the trend is being
whose enrollment has driven by a need to stay
soared to more than relevant in a technologi-
24,000. The school is cal world. But another
being investigated for factor is Epic Charter
alleged fraud and misuse Schools’ drawing stu-
of public funds, which dents away from district
Epic denies. schools.
Less visible is the Pawhuska
growing number of Superintendent David
brick-and-mortar dis- Cash told a Bartlesville
tricts that are offering radio station that the dis-
full-time online pro- trict will offer a virtual
grams. The state doesn’t academy this year to
track the number of dis- counter Epic’s growing
tricts with online courses popularity in Osage
or how many students County.
are enrolled part-time or The question that
full-time. But a check of nags these schools is the
district websites and same one that troubles
virtual charters: Is the
quality of online educa-
tion the same as that of
in-person instruction?
School officials aren’t
really sure.
A NEED FOR DATA
Steffie Corcoran, a
spokeswoman for the
Oklahoma State
Department of
Education, said virtual
programs are governed
by locally elected school
boards, which still must
meet state and federal
standards. Districts
aren’t required to meas-
ure differences in suc-
cess between partially or
fully virtual students and
traditional students.
Many districts have only
implemented their online
programs in recent years
and don’t have the data
yet to make compar-
isons.
Some districts, like
Cleveland, are watching
some metrics. This
school year will be its
first to offer a fully vir-
tual program and the
third for a blended pro-
gram, which
Superintendent Aaron
Espolt said has been
successful so far.
“We don’t have a lot
of data yet,” Espolt said.
“But our ACT results
have been higher than
they were in brick-and-
mortar.”
Some online pro-
grams raise questions.
Their courses may rely
on teaching done
through curriculum sys-
tems like Odysseyware,
which provides remote
instruction by certified
teachers not affiliated
with the district. Many
of the teachers are likely
out of state. Other con-
cerns have to do with
whether certain students
will fall behind or be
tempted to cheat or take
shortcuts.
Many districts have
application processes
that ensure both virtual
students and their par-
ents understand what is
expected of them. They
stress that online learn-
ing is not an easier path
and students should be
motivated. School offi-
cials say their learning online students are Policy Center,
management systems paired with a school researchers found a “sur-
safeguard against cheat- counselor to ensure they prisingly low” number
ing or plagiarism. Sand are meeting all gradua- of virtual and blended
Springs Virtual tion requirements and schools with available
Academy now requires keeping up with their performance ratings.
online students to use grades. For the fully virtual
their webcams and share “The district is in con- academies that did, “far
their screens during stant contact with these more district-operated
exams to verify that they students as well,” Boggs schools achieved accept-
are the ones doing the said. “We don’t just turn able school performance
work and not opening it over to somebody else ratings (56.7% accept-
additional tabs. and say, ‘Good luck,’ but able) than charter-operat-
Putnam City Virtual we are actively engaged ed schools (40.8%).”
uses Odysseyware for its in their education.” The same was true for
online curriculum. Cory Troubling national blended learning, with
Boggs, executive direc- picture district-run schools per-
tor of information tech- In a 2019 report from forming better.
nology, said that all the National Education See Virtual on page 8A

Property of OPS News Tracker and members of the Oklahoma Press Association.
 Clip
Sep 2019 Page resized From
11 A008 49% A007

Woodward News

Virtual
Continued from page 7A
fall behind, which could
affect the success rate.
“If they’re not meet-
“It’s kind of an open
rodeo out there. We’re
trying to guide it with
you’re going to have a
virtual program that
you’re not leaving kids
two years ago. For the
first several years, the
program served mainly
ing certain academic standards,” said Derald behind,” said Putnam middle and high school-
The report recom- contact with teachers, benchmarks, they’re Glover, who led the City’s Boggs, who was ers and averaged about
mends requirements that especially in -person, pulled in face to face. committee and is assis- on the framework com- 35 students; most took
would lower student- the better. They don’t get to stay tant executive director mittee. “Getting it right all their courses online.
teacher ratios in virtual “Children need to be on their own,” he said. of the Oklahoma the first time is a big Last year, the program
and blended schools. seen and heard,” said “So it’s hard to say Association of School deal.” began with 23 students
For the 2016-17 school Dr. Gary Miron, a whether they’re doing Administrators. The cooperative and ended with 148.
year, the averages in the Western Michigan better because they’re in The framework council provided a reso- Most now opt for blend-
study were about 44 to University professor the blended model, just emphasizes blended lution to districts for ed schooling.
1 for all fully virtual who contributed to the because we have those education because their local school boards “They’re doing a few
schools, 34 to 1 for policy center report. safeguards.” research has found to approve, which brick-and-mortar class-
blended virtual schools Some Oklahoma problems with fully vir- essentially endorses the es, a couple virtual
and 16 to 1 for all school administrators SUGGESTED APPROACH tual education, Glover blended learning model. classes, playing sports,”
schools. said students in virtual Considering the poli- said. The framework As of right now, the Rotert said. “We find a
The report also advo- programs appear to be cy center findings, offi- isn’t a strict model but council has received 25 way to create a schedule
cates for more research succeeding at the same cials at the nonprofit sets standards and goals resolutions, with more that works for them.”
on virtual and blended rate as their brick-and- Cooperative Council of for things like teacher possibly coming in after
programs and other mortar counterparts. Oklahoma School certification and stu- monthly board meet- Oklahoma Watch is a
classroom innovations Gart Morris, execu- Administrators decided dent/parent involve- ings. nonprofit, tax-exempt,
in traditional school dis- tive director of instruc- to tackle the issue of ment. Districts can In the meantime, stu- 501(c)(3) corporation
tricts. Overall, the more tional technology at online instruction in the adapt the framework to dents are mixing and whose mission is to pro-
that students in both Tulsa Union, said teach- state. After months of fit their needs. matching. duce in-depth and inves-
fully or partially virtual ers intervene quickly research, a committee of “I think the frame- Sand Springs Virtual tigative journalism on
programs are in direct when online students school leaders released work really helps them Academy is entering its public-policy and quali-
a blended learning do it right, because it’s ninth year, said Rotert, ty-of-life issues facing
Speaker makes appointment framework last month. really important if who became director the state.

OKLAHOMA CITY – Oklahoma House of

Property of OPS News Tracker and members of the Oklahoma Press Association.
 Clip
Sep 2019 Page resized
11 A004 67%
Yukon Review
Competition works to improve education
By JONATHAN SMALL
Oklahoma Council of
Public Affairs
Here’s a statement
few people will dispute:
Competition works. Yet
when it comes to educa-
tion, some policymak-
ers and most public
school employees act as
though the way to
improve the quality of
service to families and
their children is to
limit their taxpay-
er-funded choices to
just one local option.
Proof to the contrary
can be seen in the rash
of schools now offering
100 percent online edu-
cation.
For several years
now, a handful of
online charter schools
have offered students
an online education.
The biggest and most
well-known of those
providers has been
Epic Charter Schools.
Parents have been
choosing online learn-
ing, even though the
per-pupil spending at
online charter schools
is significant-
Property of OPS News Tracker and members of the Oklahoma Press Association.
ly less than the per-
pupil spending at a tra-
ditional brick-and-mor-
tar public school.
The number of peo-
ple pursuing K-12
learning online in
Oklahoma is astound-
ing. Epic alone reports
roughly 24,000 students
statewide this year.
Those families have
chosen online learning
for many different rea-
sons, but some of the
most commonly cited
are the greater range
of course offerings, the
special needs of chil-
dren and bullying prob-
lems at local schools.
Chances are you
know a family with
children who have
benefitted from online
schooling. Because
state funding follows
students, the exodus to
online charter schools
has had financial con-
sequences for tradition-
al districts. Now those
schools have been
forced to step up their
game.
At Sapulpa, the local
school is offering a vir-
tual academy that pro-
vides students “full or
partial online delivery
of instruction with an
element of student con-
trol over the time,
place, path, and/or pace
of learning.”
Sound familiar?
Noble Public Schools’
virtual academy pro-
vides a 100 percent
online education but
still lets online students
participate in extracur-
ricular activities such
as sports, band, and
chorus.
Norman Public
Schools now offers stu-
dents “the flexibility to
complete all of their
coursework outside the
traditional school
building” through
online learning.
Union Public Schools
has launched Union
Virtual for students in
grades 6-12. Sand
Springs offers online
learning. Broken
Arrow offers a full-time
online program. So
does Lawton. So does
Ponca City. And so do
others. The list goes on
and on.
This is a huge change
occurring across
Oklahoma to the bene-
fit of students and their
families. And the rapid
pace of this change is
being driven by compe-
tition from just a hand-
ful of online charter
schools.
Policymakers should
not simply celebrate
this success, but build
on it by expanding
school-choice opportu-
nities. If the modest
level of competition
produced by a small
group of online provid-
ers can create this kind
of change, imagine
what would happen if
Oklahoma had a truly
robust education mar-
ket competing for all
students.
Then the boom in
online learning would
be only a hint of better
things to come.
Jonathan Small
serves as president of
the Oklahoma Council
of Public Affairs (www.
ocpathink.org).
 The Lincoln County News
Search Warrant Alleges Embezzlement,
Sep Use of ‘Ghost Students’ by Epic Schools
12
A state investigator’s
search warrant filed in
2019 court Tuesday seeks evi-
dence of alleged embezzle-
Page ment of state funds and
obtaining money under
A003 false pretenses at Epic
Charter Schools, including
Clip through the use of “ghost
resized students” who receive no
54% actual instruction at the
school.
Epic and and its two co-
founders, David Chaney
and Ben Harris, are the
subject of a state law
enforcement investigation,
according to the seven-
page affidavit and warrant
filed in Oklahoma County
Property of OPS News Tracker and members of the Oklahoma Press Association.
District Court.
Read the OSBI Search
Warrant, Affidavit
The agent reviewed bank
statements and found
Chaney and Harris split
school profits of at least
$10 million between 2013
and 2018, the affidavit
states. Epic is a publicly
funded charter school that
is managed by a for-profit
company, Epic Youth Ser-
vices, which is owned by
Chaney and Harris. The
filing of the warrant was
first reported by The Okla-
homan.
Education Watch with
Jennifer Palmer - Mobile
Leaderboard
David Chaney
On June 28, OSBI agents
visited the Oklahoma City
home of an Epic teacher,
the affidavit states. Her
computer, cellphone and
files, including notes, let-
ters, text messages with
Epic parents, Chaney and
Harris, is what agents
sought in the search war-
rant.
Epic is accused of re-
ceiving state funding for
“ghost students” as early
as 2014. Those students
were homeschooled and
attended private and sec-
tarian schools and enrolled
in Epic to receive an $800
“learning fund” without
receiving instruction from
Epic, the affidavit states.
Epic teachers dubbed those
students “members of the
$800.00 club.” The learning
fund is provided to all Epic
students and can be spent
on curriculum, technol-
ogy and extracurricular
activities.
Shelly Hickman, a
spokeswoman for Epic
Charter Schools, re-
sponded to media reports
describing the allegations
on Tuesday.
“We are audited by the
Department of Education
and state-approved audi-
tors each school year and
are supremely confident
that we operate our public
school system within the
boundaries of state and
federal law,” her statement
reads. “Since our incep-
tion in 2011 we have time
after time proven ourselves
innocent of all allegations.
We will again.
“This latest attack comes
at a time when our
growth makes status quo
education lobbying groups
uncomfortable. We are
considering legal action
to combat what we believe
is a coordinated effort to
damage our school, our co-
founders and our staff.”
Superintendent Joy Hof-
meister, in a statement,
called the allegations
“extremely serious and
disturbing.
“The state Department of
Education stands ready to
work with any criminal
investigation to determine
if public education and
countless Oklahoma tax-
payers have been defraud-
ed of millions of dollars. In
the meantime, it is impor-
tant to let the legal system
do its work.”
When asked whether the
allegations would affect the
handling of Epic’s 2019-
20 funding, Education
Department spokeswoman
Steffie Corcoran said
they will consult with law
enforcement to determine
the next appropriate steps.
Epic’s state funding for
next year is estimated at
$120 million.
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 The Lincoln County News

Former Epic Teachers Sue School Over

Firing, Alleging Enrollment Manipulation
Two former teachers they could earn sig- She says her scores
Sep have filed lawsuits nificantly more at Epic were lower than
against Epic Char- than other schools. other teachers’ in part
12 ter Schools, alleging because she refused
they were fired for However, Epic pays to withdraw students
2019 pushing back against out the bonuses the who did not test well.
pressure to manipu- following year, and
Page late the enrollment of only if employees are In Epic’s response to
A011 their students. still employed with her intent to sue, an
Clip Epic at the time. attorney for the school
resized Notices that the says Waller was fired
57% teachers intended to “Epic’s business model for other reasons, such
sue were previously depended on termi- as failing to comply
filed with the school, nating a significant with an employee
as reported by Okla- number of teach- agreement and hand-
homa Watch in June. ers, while retaining book, inappropri-
Two other teachers the students that the ate conduct, parent
who filed notices teachers had recruit- complaints, habitual
have not yet filed ed,” Waller’s lawsuit poor performance,
lawsuits. alleges. unprofessional and
rude behavior and
The lawsuits, by Waller, in the lawsuit, repeatedly bringing a
Noelle Waller and alleges her principal, weapon into a testing
Shauna Atchley, also Jodie Shupe, insisted site.
raise issues with the certain students be
virtual school’s em- withdrawn from her Similarly, Atchley
ployment practices, roster for truancy and says at the time she
such as its bonus pay those students always was fired, Epic cited
system. Waller was happened to be low- “performance issues.”
hired in 2013 and performing based on But in a response, an
Atchley in 2017; both benchmarking exams. attorney for Epic al-
were fired in June She says the pressure leges Atchley’s em-
2018 and say they to withdraw increased ployment was actually
are owed all or part in January or Febru- terminated for failing
of their bonus pay- ary, as state testing to comply with the
ment for the 2017-18 approached. employee agreement
school year. and handbook, and
Atchley, too, alleges her relationship with
Epic has previously her principal, Kristie her pet monkey, which
denied the allega- Surface, pressured her Epic says she brought
tions. The lawsuits to withdraw students, to a testing site with-
were filed Friday in told her “she needed out authorization.
Oklahoma County to dump all her stu-
District Court; Epic’s dents that reduced An attorney repre-
lawyers have not yet bonuses” and once senting Atchley and
filed responses. called a low-perform- Waller says those
ing student a “waste of reasons are false and
Subscribe to our free time,” according to the weren’t raised before
weekly newsletter lawsuit. the teachers were
fired. Waller has told
Both lawsuits allege Principals also receive Oklahoma Watch the
Epic recruited teach- bonus payments based “weapon” was a cane.
ers based on a bonus on students’ scores.
structure that allows Both teachers are ask-
teachers an opportu- Waller says Epic ing the judge to award
nity to earn double terminated her em- them at least $75,000.
their base salary. ployment citing her
Teachers were told students’ test scores.

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