Eastern Academy Charter School Closure

 To Our Students, Parents, Staff, Friends, and Supporters of Eastern Academy Charter School
 
We are extremely disappointed that the state Charter Appeal Board failed to recognize that Eastern Academy Charter School is fulfilling what it promised in our school’s operating charter.  Furthermore, we disagree with CAB’s decision and have appealed this case to the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court.

The educational philosophy of EACS empowers students to pursue their passions in an early college learning environment while connecting their experience in the real world. Our graduation rates, college matriculation rates, and parental satisfaction prove we are succeeding.  We believe the Commonwealth Court will recognize our value in serving Philadelphia’s most vulnerable students and overturn CAB’s erroneous decision.
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As you may know by now, the School District of Philadelphia illegally defunded Eastern Academy before it had the chance to utilize its right to appeal the recent decision of the State Charter Appeals Board. That is, the School District of Philadelphia refused to remit payment that our school is owed under PA law. 
 
We appealed that defunding to the Pennsylvania Department of Education under a law that states that the Secretary of the Department of Education shall pay Eastern the funds it is owed if Eastern makes an appropriate filing to PDE. Eastern did make an appropriate filing. However, the PA DOE has informed us that it also considers Eastern to be closed and therefore refused to honor the request of Eastern that it be paid the funds it was owed. Our position is that we are a charter school until the law says that we are not. We have the right to appeal and they know it. 
 
What the SDP did was illegal. What PDE did was illegal. We believe that this is part of a greater strategy to run Eastern into the ground so that it could not claim its rights in court. 
 
So, it is with great sadness that due to the defunding of our school by SDP and PDE, Eastern will not be able to open for the 2019-2020 school year. The forces that mounted against us could not guarantee a legal battle, so they engaged in extra-judicial activity in that they pulled our funding -- all the while knowing that it would cripple our school.
 
Throughout this process our students and families have remained our number one priority.  We are eternally grateful and considered it an honor that you entrusted us with your students. 

Despite what they have done to us, we will NOT give up.  We WILL continue to fight for the right of our school to exist! We can’t say it enough…we are eternally grateful to each and every one of you who have supported our school and we look forward to your support as we see this through to a final LEGAL conclusion.
 
Keep Thinking Big!

Omar Barlow,
CEO and Principal

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Should you need to reach us, please contact us  via email at info@easternacademycs.org. 

 
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