Ohio, charter school at odds over state inspection

Associated Press

CINCINNATI - A charter school that the state says is operating illegally blocked Ohio education officials from carrying out a court-ordered inspection.

The school, Learning Opportunities International, was ordered to stop using what is left of $588,000 advanced by the state for operations in July and August by a court order last week. State officials tried to enter the school Tuesday to inspect it, but the school refused to allow the inspectors in.

The Ohio Department of Education says it has been trying to close the 45-student elementary school since Sept. 30 because the school opened without state authorization. Last year, the school served 650 students in kindergarten through seventh grade.

Parents and the school's lawyer, James R. Greene III, said they think the state is targeting the school because it serves black students.

On Friday, Common Pleas Judge John West authorized inspectors from the Ohio Department of Education to inspect the school within 14 days to determine if it meets state standards.

In May, state Auditor Jim Petro said his office was unable to audit the school because it had failed to furnish the required financial records. The school's board had fired the school's management company, saying the company wasn't making financial information available. The company denied that.