Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Giving Death to Patrick Henry?

Last week Richmond.com ran a piece I wrote about what is planned to be Virginia's first charter elementary school -- Patrick Henry School of Science and Arts. Applications are currently being accepted from families that want their children to be enrolled when the new school opens in July at 3411 Semmes Ave.
Charter schools are not to be confused with private schools. Thus, they are not part of the debate over vouchers. Charter schools are public schools granted some degree of autonomy to operate outside the ordinary guidelines, while still adhering to certain standards of academic achievement set by the public education officials.
Click here to read the article, which offers a brief look at the school's background and purpose.

Well, now comes bad news for PHSSA from Carol Wolf at Save Our Schools.
Even if the school had all the money it needs to hire a staff, purchase proper educational materials and satisfy the demands of Virginia charter school law, the stalwart group of true believers in the PHSSA appear to be on a collision course with a school system that is perversely using its own flagrant violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act to kill the competition it fears, thus denying hope and change to yet another generation of Richmond schoolchildren.
Click here to read Wolf's entire post.

To read Norm Leahy's post at Tertium Quids, which comments on the possibility that PHSSA will go belly-up on Feb. 1, click here.

1 comment:

Val said...

This will be a huge disappointment to the people in Woodland Heights and surrounding neighborhoods who have worked tirelessly the last few years to make the Patrick Henry Charter School a reality. There has been a great deal of suport for this project. What a shame!