21 of 45 teachers at Chatt Prep unlicensed in Tennessee, Hamilton County Schools finds

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — Nearly half of all teachers at Chattanooga Preparatory School currently don't have state licenses, Hamilton County Schools has learned, and that finding could affect the entire senior class at the public charter school.

A letter from Hamilton County Schools Superintendent Dr. Justin Robertson provided to our newsroom by Chatt Prep says the district says the school "willfully violated Tennessee laws," after it learned

...that 21 of Chattanooga Prep's 45 teachers are unlicensed and have neither waivers nor permits for the classes they teach.

The letter points out that most of these unlicensed teachers teach high school courses, meaning their students "are not accumulating valid credits toward graduation." The letter says it's likely that "Chattanooga Prep's entire senior class is impacted by this licensure issue."

One mother of a Chatt Prep senior told us...

Imagine going to school every day, working your hardest throughout high school to maintain great grades, score high on your tests, and ACT just to learn it could be taken away by clerical errors beyond your control..

These revelations came to light in the wake of the arrest and indictment of Kenya White, a former teacher at Chatt Prep, on 14 charges that include solicitation of a child and kidnapping.

Online records show White was not licensed by the state of Tennessee when he was fired, and that he had had that status for several months.

Our own reporting three weeks ago revealed at least 11 teachers at Chatt Prep who had similar state licensing issues to White.

In addition to "willfully violating Tennessee law," Dr. Robertson's letter says

I also believe that the governing body and management have deliberately misrepresented who were the teachers of record in classes actually taught by these unlicensed personnel in order to avoid scrutiny from TDOE.

As a result, Dr. Robertson concludes "these violations are so flagrant that the only appropriate sanction is revocation" of its charter.

This year was the first year Chatt Prep had a senior class since starting in 6th grade several years ago.

The class is set to walk the graduation stage in just 2 months.

One mother of a Chatt Prep student says she’s now worried about how the school employing unlicensed teachers will affect the graduating class.

This is not right, especially when they say that the senior class is affected,' she told us. 'You know, I was waiting for the results of the senior class to come about, like I wanted them to show everyone that there's something good about the school, because look at all of these boys going to college.

Chatt Prep sent a letter to parents on Wednesday announcing Hamilton County Schools was considering revoking its charter. Read that full letter here.

Dr. Robertson's letter says it was only recently that the district discovered this discrepancy.

Chattanooga Prep has been misrepresenting that appropriately licensed teachers were the teachers of record for classes they were not actually teaching, allowing the unlicensed teachers to remain invisible to TDOE,' Dr. Robertson's letter says.

Hamilton County Schools is the 'authorizer' for Chattanooga Prep's operations, and the letter says all public charter schools are bound to the state board of education's rules and regulations about licenses.

Throughout our investigation, we've been asking a lot about oversight into Charter School's... the letter from Superintendent Dr. Justin Robertson says that just because Chattanooga Prep has broad operational autonomy under Tennessee law, it doesn't mean they can ignore the law.

Hamilton County Superintendent Dr. Justin Robertson and Bess released this joint statement about HCDE's increased involvement:

Hamilton County Schools and Chattanooga Prep are working together to ensure that Prep meets or exceeds its high standards for hiring personnel. Prep has accepted HCS’s offer to send HR staff to work with Prep’s employment attorney, who is currently auditing Prep’s files, to review Prep’s HR processes and to recommend any changes. Chattanooga Prep is grateful for the willingness of HCS to work collaboratively toward a resolution that benefits every student at Chatt Prep – and Hamilton County.

Chatt Prep can appeal the revocation to the Tennessee Public Charter School Commission. That process can be found here.

So, what comes next?

The superintendent says he will recommend the Hamilton County Board of Education revoke Chatt Prep's charter on April 17th.

If it passes, that revocation would take effect at the end of the school year.

If the charter is revoked, Chatt Prep can appeal to the Tennessee Charter School Commission.

Unity Group of Chattanooga released a statement regarding this news, saying...

"As a community, we are deeply saddened by the reports surrounding Chattanooga Prep At this time, it is imperative that we do what is in the best interests of the students, many of whom have performed ably and admirably in their pursuit of academic excellence and find themselves adversely affected by this unfortunate circumstance through no fault of their own.

All students deserve to receive a high-quality education, and it is our responsibility to ensure that this commitment is maintained. Additionally, we believe it is vital that the senior class at Chattanooga Prep be provided with a clear pathway to graduation, enabling them to continue to pursue every available level of educational achievement, attainment, and opportunity, they might hope to pursue and endeavor.

This is a systemic failure..."

Read Superintendent Dr. Justin Robertson's full letter to Chatt Prep Interim CEO Micah Bess below:

WATCH OUR EARLIER COVERAGE:

• Kenya White's indictment and arrest, and a call to action from police
• Chatt Prep issues first statement, Kenya White's Hamilton County Schools personnel file reveals red flag
• Hamilton County Schools: Chatt Prep hired Kenya White without doing a reference check
• Kenya White worked at Chatt Prep without a license; Our investigation reveals several other Chatt Prep teachers with questionable state licensing
• Kenya White makes his first appearance in court
• Chatt Prep Principal resigns, HR director to take early retirement in wake of Kenya White scandal
• Email reveals Chatt Prep knew of indicted teacher's red flag in personnel file
• Hamilton County Schools officials say "we did exactly what we're supposed to do" with Kenya White red flag
• 'Seriously disturbing:' Tennessee lawmaker calls for state to investigate Chatt Prep after Kenya White scandal
• Digging deeper: Who makes sure charter schools in Tennessee follow the law?
• Hamilton County Schools demand documentation about indicted Chatt Prep teacher
• Tennessee's DCS: Chatt Prep "not set up to conduct background checks" in their system
• Former Chatt Prep teacher now facing federal charges, arrested a second time
• 'I leave with head held high:' Chatt Prep principal defends actions in resignation letter
• Chattanooga Prep says former CEO failed to act decisively in Kenya White matter
• Chattanooga Prep School says Hamilton Co. Schools started process to revoke their charter

Depend on us to keep you posted as we learn more.