The Enid News and Eagle /The Enid News and Eagle
Shown is Cindy Byrd, state auditor and inspector. In an October report, the state auditor argued that Epic Youth Services was more than just a vendor because the founders made decisions about the schoolâs operations without board approval. Ben Felder / The Frontier
During his first meeting with state audit inspectors in October 2019, Ben Harris, the co-founder of the stateâs largest virtual charter school, was determined to reveal as little as possible about the private management company he had created to run the operations of Epic charter school.
He refused to reveal how the private company Epic Youth Services had spent millions of dollars in taxpayer money for student activities or even say how many people it employed.
Oklahoman
A state official who lost his vote over Epic Charter Schools because of a perceived conflict of interest is on the brink of having his recusal overturned.
Mathew Hamrick sued the Oklahoma Statewide Virtual Charter School Board and the board’s executive director on April 13 to regain voting power on Epic-related matters.
He and board member Phyllis Shepherd were disqualified Dec. 8 from all discussions and votes on Epic because of ties to Epic co-founder David Chaney.
Hamrick could regain his ability to vote on Epic if he agrees to drop the lawsuit.
The three board members who aren’t recused decided Monday to rescind Hamrick’s disqualification if he dismisses the case with prejudice, meaning he could never re-file it again.
Grand jury: Epic system ripe for fraud By: Jennifer Palmer Oklahoma Watch May 10, 2021
A sign outside of 50 Penn Place in Oklahoma City, where Epic Charter Schools leases 40,000 square feet for administrative use. (Photo by Whitney Bryen/Oklahoma Watch)
The state’s multicounty grand jury recently delivered a message to the public: demand more transparency and accountability of Epic Charter Schools, the state’s largest online charter school system.
The grand jury’s investigation of Epic began in October and isn’t completed yet. But it issued a 25-page interim report to inform the public, parents and policymakers detailing “concerning trends emerging in the investigation.” The grand jury wanted to make the information public before Epic receives its funding allocation for the 2021-22 school year.
By Jennifer Palmer | Oklahoma Watch May 7, 2021
3 hrs ago
The stateâs multicounty grand jury delivered a message to the public this week: demand more transparency and accountability of Epic Charter Schools, the stateâs largest online charter school system.
The grand juryâs investigation of Epic began in October and isnât completed yet. But on Thursday it issued a 25-page interim report to inform the public, parents, and policymakers detailing âconcerning trends emerging in the investigation.â The grand jury wanted to make the information public before Epic receives its funding allocation for the 2021-22 school year.
No indictments were issued. But it did urge policymakers to take swift action.