AUSTIN – Commissioner of Education Michael Williams has informed leadership at Honors Academy of his decision to appoint a board of managers for the liquidation of assets and other specific issues related to the revocation and closure of Honors Academy and the seven campuses operating under the charter as public, accredited schools.  The revocation – which became effective June 30, 2014 – affects students, parents and teachers at the following Honors Academy campuses (in these communities):

§  Branch Park Academy (Farmers Branch)

§  Creekview Academy (Killeen)

§  Landmark School (also known as Leadership Academy – Palestine)

§  Legacy Park Preparatory (Kaufman)

§  Pinnacle Academy of Fine Arts (Fort Worth)

§  Quest Academy (Dallas)

§  Wilmer Academy (Wilmer)

“Because the Honors charter has been revoked, the former charter school is prohibited by law from operating as a public charter school or receiving state funds,” said Commissioner Williams in a letter to Honors Academy. “Because of the former charter school’s violations and the negative consequences to current and past students of the former charter school, I am compelled to appoint this Board to wind up its affairs.”

The Texas Education Agency (TEA) notes that the former charter school known as Honors Academy has continued to operate a de facto private school, but is falsely holding itself out as a public charter school, a violation of the Texas Education Code. In addition, the former charter school has refused to transfer its student records to TEA, another violation that may have a negative impact on students who previously attended or currently attend Honors Academy.

Students and parents are advised that any current operation of the campuses of the school formerly known as Honors Academy is under the auspices of a privately run school. As a result, students enrolled in an Honors Academy campus are considered private school students and are not earning credit from a public, accredited school.

Should students be offered the opportunity to graduate from an Honors Academy campus, they will be graduating from a private school. The validity of a high school diploma from a private school will depend on that school securing some form of accreditation. As TEA does not regulate private schools, the agency has no knowledge whether privately-run Honors Academy is seeking or has received an accreditation or not.

Fully accredited public charter schools in Texas are the custodians of student permanent records. Since Honors Academy is no longer a public school, parents of current and former students are encouraged to get a copy of their student’s permanent records from the school personnel. Parents encountering any difficulties securing their student’s records should contact the TEA Division of Charter School Administration at (512) 463-4047 for assistance.

The Texas Education Agency has hand delivered information packets to every Honors Academy campus for distribution to parents. The principal has been directed to distribute the packets to parents and staff. If the information was not shared, parents seeking to secure that packet should visit campus administration to receive it. Those unable to secure the information in person can access it via the Internet at http://tea.texas.gov/index2.aspx?id=25769814724.

The revocation and closure of Honors Academy also impacts teachers and any other employees at the seven campuses. Teachers who remain on faculty at any Honors Academy campus should be advised that, as an employee of a private school, they are no longer contributing to the state Teacher’s Retirement System of Texas (TRS) and the current school year is not counted toward their years of service in TRS.

Once formally appointed, the board of managers will address only those issues specific to final closure of Honors Academy as a state charter school and will not impact the day-to-day operations of Honors Academy campuses operating now as a de facto private school.

Honors Academy may request a formal review of the Commissioner’s decision to appoint a board of managers. A request for a formal review must be in writing and received by TEA no later than Nov. 21, 2014.

Honors Academy was one of six open-enrollment charter schools that met the legislative criteria for mandatory revocation of their charter under Senate Bill 2.Passed by the Texas Legislature in 2013, Senate Bill 2 requires mandatory revocation of low-performing charters by the Commissioner of Education.

Students, parents and teachers at Honors Academy schools who may have questions regarding the charter revocation and its impact can contact the TEA Division of Charter School Administration at (512) 463-4047 or email teainfo@tea.state.tx.us. Additional parent resources are also available online athttp://tea.texas.gov/index2.aspx?id=25769814724.