In 2014 the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation opened its fraud inquiry into Epic Charter Schools, accusing the virtual school district of using falsified records “to fraudulently receive payments from the Oklahoma Department of Education.” The grades were D for third through fifth grade, C for middle school and B- for high school. The case was dismissed three months later, and the report card was released. The state Education Department said Epic’s report card was being withheld because the state agency was “still verifying data for this school.”īarresi said she questioned the validity and the integrity of EPIC Charter School's assessment data and called into question the integrity of EPIC Charter School's performance.Įpic had received a grade of “D” on its first report card in 2011 and stated it needed the report card released because it “utilizes the report card and performance data to assist in performance improvement.” In 2013 Epic Charter Schools sued the state Education Department and then State schools Superintendent Janet Barresi for not releasing its A-F report card. Epic eventually became chartered through Graham Public Schools in Okfuskee County.Ĭhaney tried to clarify at the time that the facilities were not schools but centers where students could access the virtual curriculum on computers and internet provided by Epic.Įpic eventually won that fight as well and has four “Blended Learning Centers” in Oklahoma City and Tulsa. State law mandated that any charter school must be physically located in the school district that grants the charter. In 2011 the state Education Department ordered EPIC to stop enrolling students at physical school sites it planned to open in Oklahoma City, Tulsa and Norman.
#Epic charter school logo code#
In 2010, before the school had opened, Epic One-on-One Charter School filed a lawsuit against the Oklahoma Department of Education claiming the state wrongfully refused to acknowledge the school and assign a school code that would allow Epic to enroll students, receive funding and select vendors before it opens its virtual doors on September 1.Įpic eventually won that lawsuit in court but had its contract with the University of Central Oklahoma dissolved and was forced to relocate to a new school district. “The goal of the school is to work in partnership with students and parents to ensure each child’s success.”īut almost from the beginning, Epic faced challenges and push back and ran into legal hurdles. “I founded Epic with the vision of filling a void that exists in our public education system,” Chaney said. Shelly Hickman, assistant superintendent for Epic Charter Schools, has disputed the auditor's findings and called the investigation findings “political theatrics.”Įpic Charter Schools was founded in 2011 by David Chaney and Ben Harris with the mission of creating an online schooling experience for children from Kindergarten through 12th grade that was structured to tailor the education experience for each student.
Read Randy Ellis’ story on the state auditor’s report here. Governor Kevin Stitt called the initial findings “concerning” while State Superintendent of Public Instruction Joy Hofmeister called the findings "deeply disturbing." A partial investigative audit of Epic Charter Schools was released on Thursday revealing millions of dollars in questionable expenditures.Įpic, which reports an enrollment of more than 60,000 students, is a public charter school that receives state education funding for each student enrolled.
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