Students Not Allowed Inside Riverdale Charter School On First Day
About 200 students showed up to Utopian Academy for the Arts in Riverdale for their first day of school but were not allowed inside the building. School officials say the charter school did not hold its first day of classes as a precautionary measure, because the city’s fire marshal said he would escort students out of the building if it opened.
Shellene Lawler says it was heartbreaking to show up with her two sixth grade daughters and find out they would not get to start school.
“They were dressed, ready, eager to go, didn’t go to sleep. Now we’re fighting. We’re fighting trying to figure out why, and it’s a lot of back and forth, back and forth, but we’re trying to figure out what’s going on, because we really want the students to go there.”
The Clayton County School District has an agreement with the Riverdale Downtown Development Authority to lease the property where the school is located. City officials say they did not allow the students in the building because a third party subleased the building and the city was not informed of the change. Riverdale Attorney L’Erin Barnes also says the shift occurred without the consent of the school board.
“This situation is a major disconnect between the Clayton County Public Schools and also the Downtown Development Agency, their members are appointed by the city council. The city of Riverdale’s only interest in this is administrative, whether or not to have an inspection of the building and who to cite should anything be wrong with the building for the safety of the children.”
Originally, the city also wanted the school to have a business license, but city and school officials say state law does not require schools to have one.
The State Charter Schools Commission authorized Utopian Academy after the Clayton School Board turned it down three years in a row. Utopian founder and executive director Artesius Miller believes the struggle stems from some school board members not wanting the charter school to open.
“Clayton County Public schools has no control over our school operations. I think there lies back to some tension. We have had unannounced visits to our school building by folks from Clayton County Public schools, bullying us saying you guys cannot be in this school building. When we sent a letter out to the superintendent and reached out to one of the school board members in particular we were told that was not something that was authorized by the district.”
In a statement, the district said, “In the matter of the Utopian Academy for the Arts, the district has no authority over the Utopian Academy as an educational facility or as a lessee. The Utopian Academy is a state charter and is not connected to the district. The charter school has apparently entered into an agreement with the Riverdale Downtown Development Authority for use of the old Riverdale Elementary School. Utopian Academy is therefore a tenant of the Riverdale Downtown Development Authority. Clayton County Public Schools’ only connection is that we lease the building to the authority. Clayton County Public Schools is not directly or indirectly preventing students from attending school at this facility. Questions regarding this matter should be directed to the Utopian Academy for the Arts and the Riverdale Downtown Development Authority.”
Utopian officials say they’ve now been told by the city if the Downtown Development Authority gives the city documentation the school is allowed on the property they will inspect the building and potentially allow students inside.
However, even if the school opens, Utopian officials say an attorney for the school district has said it would be a breech of contract, because the contract does not explicitly say a charter school can use the building.
School officials say they will try to work with the Clayton school board to resolve the matter.
WABE contacted the authority but did not hear back by deadline.
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