PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A federal judge has ruled that Memphis Street Academy charter school in Port Richmond must surrender its charter and close, but the school plans to open on schedule next month while it pursues an appeal.
U.S. District Judge Chad Kenney wrote Monday that he was “holding MSA to the promises it made to the School District of Philadelphia.”
The school signed an agreement in 2018 to relinquish its charter if it failed to meet certain academic benchmarks. When it did not meet those goals, the Philadelphia Board of Education voted in 2022 to enforce the surrender clause. Instead of closing, MSA sued the district.
“The conditions MSA agreed to be held to—and failed to meet—were guardrails to provide adequate education for its students,” Kenney wrote in a memorandum accompanying his order.
“Instead of uplifting its students, MSA blames their demographic backgrounds for its own shortcomings. These excuses deprive MSA’s students of the education they deserve. MSA must surrender its charter and close,” the judge wrote in his decision.
American Paradigm Schools CEO Ashley Redfearn said MSA will open August 25 for its 500 fifth-through-eighth graders while the school considers an appeal.
“We are going through all of our legal processes to make sure we understand what has been said,” Redfearn told KYW Newsradio. “We’re not going with the summary of what people think it is. We’re making sure we’re being accurate and true for the students of Memphis Street Academy,” Redfearn continued. “We do plan to go through our appeal rights and make sure that we’re doing what’s right for the students of Memphis Street. And they know that takes time and we know that takes time.”
A spokesperson for the Philadelphia School Board declined to comment on the judge’s ruling.