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Two virtual education officials disqualified from voting on Epic Charter Schools have been reinstated. The Oklahoma Statewide Virtual Charter School Board agreed on Tuesday to restore board members Mathew Hamrick and Phyllis Shepherd to discussions and votes on Epic. Hamrick and Shepherd had been barred from voting on Epic since December because of their ties to the virtual system s co-founder David Chaney. The remaining non-recused board members Chairperson Robert Franklin and members Barry Beauchamp and Brandon Tatum agreed to reinstate Hamrick and Shepherd now that Epic has severed its relationship with Chaney and co-founder Ben Harris. Hamrick filed a lawsuit in April to challenge his disqualification, alleging violations of administrative procedure and the Oklahoma Open Meetings Act. He is expected to drop the lawsuit in Oklahoma County District Court. ....
The co-founders of Epic Charter Schools, who often found themselves at the center of controversy, are no longer tied to the virtual charter school system. ....
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. ....
Oklahoma Watch sues Epic Charter Schools, seeking emails 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) Oklahoma Watch and reporter Jennifer Palmer have filed a lawsuit against Epic Charter Schools, asking the court to order the release of emails under the Oklahoma Open Records Act. The news organization first requested the documents on July 26. Specifically, the lawsuit named Epic Blended Learning Centers, Epic One-on-One Charter School, and Superintendent Bart Banfield as defendants. Epic is a public charter school funded by taxpayers. Palmer requested the emails to and from Epic co-founder Ben Harris dated Jan. 1, 2019 through July 25, 2020 that used his Epic Charter Schools address. Email, like traditional written correspondence, is treated as a document under the state’s Open Records Act. ....