Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Hillsborough board votes to immediately terminate Walton Academy charter, citing safety failures
Summary
After multiple state and district inspections found safety and facility compliance gaps, the Hillsborough County School Board voted unanimously to immediately terminate Walton Academyfor the Performing Arts' charter under Florida law; the school has 10 days to request an administrative hearing.
The Hillsborough County School Board voted unanimously Wednesday to immediately terminate the charter for Walton Academy for the Performing Arts, following state and district inspections that the superintendent and the district security chief said showed continuing health, safety and welfare risks for students.
Superintendent Van Ayers said his "highest responsibility is to ensure the safety, well-being, and educational integrity for every student in our district," and recommended termination under section 1002.33, Florida Statutes after what the district described as repeated noncompliance despite oversight and technical assistance.
The district's chief of security, John Newman, outlined specific shortfalls cited in state and district reviews, including unsecured gates, classrooms without clearly marked "hard corners," cluttered rooms that impede emergency procedures and problems integrating the Alyssa's Law panic-alert system with the 9-1-1…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
