CLAYTON COUNTY, Ga. — A charter school in Clayton County is closing after five years, the school district announced Monday.
In a letter to families of the 7 Pillars Career Academy, Clayton County Public Schools wrote, "It has been our honor to work with the 7 Pillars Governing Board and staff to serve the students of 7 Pillars for the past 5 years."
Last year, the Clayton County School Board of Education voted not to renew 7 Pillars' charter during its meeting on Oct. 30.
"Clayton County Public Schools determined the school could not meet its financial goals and has decided that the last day of operation will be June 30, 2024," the district wrote in the letter.
The announcement shocked not only parents and students but also the head of schools and founder, Christina Guillen.
"We were surprised by that as well," Guillen said. "We had always hoped to be able to be in collaboration with our district."
Guillen said she felt the Facebook announcement caused more confusion.
"You have to ask yourself, what was the motive of putting a statement out for only 250 families to thousands and thousands of families on social media? Social media is not a way, especially because we start state testing this week," Guillen said. "And so, the impact to our scholars' hearts and minds having to read this front on social media is very negative. So, you really have to ask yourself if our student's best interest is at heart?"
Cerosha Harden's daughter Zoe attends 7 Pillars. She said the school's status has been up in the air for a while now.
"It's been more like a year, I feel like, where we've been like, 'Oh, we're closing, we're not closing, we're closing, we're not closing,'" Harden said. "And that's been kind of frustrating for us."
On March 20, The State Charter Schools Commission of Georgia (SCSC) sent a denial letter to 7 Pillar's leadership, informing them that it couldn't consider the school's petition because 7 Pillars did not meet "SCSC eligibility requirements" and it "would not be consistent with state educational goals," the district added in the letter.
Clayton County Public Schools said it will assist teachers in finding new positions within the district for the upcoming year. Additionally, the district wrote in the letter that students are expected to be engaged fully in 7 Pillars' academic program through the last day of school.
Harden said she'd hate to have to place her daughter somewhere else.
"Where are we going to go?" Harden said.
Guillen said the school system's announcement doesn't tell the whole story. She said the academy is in the middle of a transition.
"We are in the process to become a state charter which requires us to receive different levels of evaluation. And at that first level of evaluation, the state charter, due to some academic data that we did not have because of the pandemic, had to make a decision about recommending us for, remaining a school, and they did not recommend us to continue on within that process," Guillen said.
Parents, though, have been recommending the school all over social media as another option to avoid the potential issues of public schools. Guillen said at 7 Pillars, violence is low, and it is the only suspend-free school in the metro.
Some parents have critiqued the school, but Harden said the school has helped her daughter tremendously.
"[She was] shy and struggling going into the school. And now, she's flourishing," Harden said.
Stories like Zoe's are why Guillen said she's going to fight for her school. Tuesday, she met with the State Charter Schools Commission (SCSC).
"We could always reapply as a state commission school, as a start-up school. And in that transition time, we have the ability to be a private school," Guillen said.
Guillen maintains that the school isn't going anywhere. She claimed to already have enough private donor funding to cover all 259 students. New applicants would have to pay tuition.
Some students may leave, but others are prepared to hold on.
"I'm just glad my school's not closing because I was not ready for that at all," Zoe said.
Guillen also started a petition.
On March 20, The State Charter Schools Commission of Georgia (SCSC) sent a denial letter to 7 Pillar's leadership, informing them that it couldn't consider the school's petition because 7 Pillars did not meet "SCSC eligibility requirements" and it "would not be consistent with state educational goals," the district added in the letter.
Clayton County Public Schools said it will assist teachers in finding new positions within the district for the upcoming year. Additionally, the district wrote in the letter that students are expected to be engaged fully in 7 Pillars' academic program through the last day of school.
Anyone with questions about student records, daily procedures and operations is asked to contact the 7 Pillars Governing Board and leadership directly. The school district said families can also contact Dr. Chantara Rumph-Carter, CCPS Director of Charter Schools and Strategic Improvement, for any district-related questions during the transition and closure of 7 Pillars.
The district concluded, "Again, thank you for your commitment to 7 Pillars, and we wish you and your family the best!"
You can read the district's full letter below: