LCS letter raises questions about Tallahassee Classical School governing board, contract compliance

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) - In another ripple, Tallahassee Classical School now faces questions about compliance as revealed in a letter sent by Leon County Schools superintendent Rocky Hanna on Tuesday.

WCTV obtained a copy of the letter, which indicates TCS cannot operate without a minimum of five board members, according to the contract between LCS and TCS.

According to the letter sent by Hanna, former principal Hope Carrasquilla was contacted on January 19 and informed that only four board members were listed on the TCS website. As of Tuesday, their site lists Louis Jean-Baptiste as a member. An internet archive search from as recently as March 26 showed no mention of Jean-Baptiste on the TCS website. Hanna writes in part that LCS has not received official notice for a fifth member.

Hanna argues that the contract states “any change in Governing Board membership must be reported to Sponsor in writing within 5 business days of the change.” He adds that LCS believes TCS “is out of compliance with both the contract and Florida law.”

It marks a second major impact for the school, which was notified last week that Hillsdale College would revoke the license for its curriculum, meaning the educational materials will expire at the end of this school year. The news also comes nearly two weeks after TCS was thrust into the international spotlight over Carrasquilla’s resignation, and an art lesson gone awry.

The letter from Hanna directs TCS to provide the below information within the next 5 business days:

°Evidence of Notifying the Sponsor in writing within 5 business days of change to the governing board

°Governing board minutes from when a new board member was approved/appointed by the board

°Proof that adequate background checks and fingerprinting has been completed prior to board approval of any new members, pursuant to Florida Statute 1002.33(12)(g)(1)

°Evidence that the governing board has maintained the minimum number of governing board members for more than 60 days

Eyewitness News has reached out to Tallahassee Classical School for a response. We will update this story when we hear back.

WCTV’s Mike Rogers will have more on this story tonight at 5 p.m. and 6 p.m.

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