Weather | Sports | Forums | Comics | Classifieds | Calendar | Movies
LETITIA STEINAn inspection finds that Wilbesan Charter School had no emergency windows in upstairs classrooms.
TAMPA - Thirty-seven students at Wilbesan Charter School will begin the academic year scrambling to find a new school after the Hillsborough County Fire Marshal shut down their classes Thursday over safety concerns.
Hillsborough Superintendent MaryEllen Elia plans to recommend the termination of the charter school's contract at a School Board meeting Tuesday, said district spokeswoman Linda Cobbe. District officials are offering Wilbesan students seats at nearby Dowdell and Progress Village middle schools, or the school in their attendance boundary.
Some students already had arrived for classes at Wilbesan when the Fire Marshal showed up, brandishing orders to close the school immediately, Cobbe said.
A last-minute county fire inspection - conducted the day before school started - found that the school had no emergency windows in upstairs classrooms and a disconnected pull station in the office. The inspector also noted that Wilbesan needed proper permitting to use a facility behind the Clair Mel First Assembly of God church.
"No charter school has ever been shut down for these reasons," Cobbe said.
Charter schools don't charge tuition, but are free from many rules governing traditional public schools. School districts have the power to award and revoke their charters.
The decision to pull the contract on Wilbesan came as a surprise to principal Mary White, visibly tense as she fielded calls from parents and the media Thursday afternoon.
"This is just a bunch of rigamarole," said White, who complained of intimidation by district staff in a February letter to School Board Chair Candy Olson. "This stuff has been going on for years."
The emergency cease and desist order may be the culmination of a series of distressed reports about Wilbesan, which was beginning its third year of serving fifth- to eighth-graders in east Tampa. The school was opening in a new facility.
In March, district officials threatened to terminate the school's charter. They pointed to poor student performance, a failure to report personnel data and the Hillsborough Sheriff's Office claim that the principal did not cooperate with an investigation into charges of a teacher battering a student.
After student test scores improved, the district in July placed Wilbesan on probation for a year. Cobbe said officials had ongoing worries about the health and safety of students.
In recent years, three charter schools have closed in Hillsborough County, according to Donnie Evans, the district's chief academic officer. Two ceased operations voluntarily.
The district has experienced tension with some charter schools over accountability.
"We really have monitored very closely and are holding those that have not performed in the past accountable," Evans said. "Because of that, the performance is coming up."
District staff has contacted the parents of 23 Wilbesan students who showed up for the first day of school, Evans said, and is reaching out to others.
The district also planned to freeze Wilbesan's bank accounts and claim any equipment and furniture that belonged to the school district, Cobbe said. Wilbesan has 14 days to appeal a termination of their charter.
White, the principal, began cleaning out her personal belongings Thursday afternoon. She had just learned the district would seek to terminate the rest of her school year. "I don't know," she said, considering the next step. "I don't know."
Times staff writer Melanie Ave contributed to this report. Letitia Stein can be reached at 661-2443 or lstein@sptimes.com