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The Oklahoma Eagle
Oklahoma County Judge Imposes $500,000 Fine On Epic Charter Schools' Nonprofit
By Eagle Newswire
An Oklahoma County
district judge leveled a
$500,000 fine against the
nonprofit overseeing Epic
Charter Schools on Wednes-
day.
Judge Cindy Troung
sanctioned Community
Strategies Inc. for filing a
libel and slander lawsuit
against state Sen. Ron Sharp
last year. Truong dismissed
the lawsuit in February. On
Wednesday, she ruled the
case was an attempt to cen-
sor Sharp's free speech.
The judge decided the
Okl h
nonprofit was subject to a
fine under Oklahoma Citi-
zens Participation Act, a law
that sanctions plaintiffs who
file meritless lawsuits in-
tended to silence critics.
Troung also awarded
Sharp $35,912 to cover all
of his legal fees. A news re-
lease from Sharp said the
senator is "very pleased"
with the judge's decision.
Epic will appeal the rul-
ing, said Shelly Hickman,
assistant superintendent of
communications.
"There are multiple rea-
sons why the judge’s rulings
are erroneous legally,"
B id G F
Property of OPS News Tracker and members of the Oklahoma Press Association.
Hickman said in a state-
ment. "Mr. Sharp has al-
ready admitted he lied. We
will appeal."
Sharp has not admitted to
lying. Rather, he said in a
court affidavit that he be-
lieved his public statements
about Epic were true based
on information he learned
from other state officials
and media reports.
Community Strategies,
which oversees Epic, sued
Sharp in December for a
minimum of $75,000 and
argued the state senator
knowingly made false and
defamatory statements
W T B
against the virtual charter
school system.
Sharp, R-Shawnee, has
been one of Epic's most out-
spoken critics. In multiple
news releases and com-
ments to media, he alleged
Epic unlawfully counted
student enrollment and mis-
used taxpayer dollars.
Truong threw out the
lawsuit and said Sharp's
public comments about Epic
did not rise to the level of
actual malice, which is the
standard to prove libel and
slander against a public en-
tity.
“Clearly, Epic was trying
to do this to destroy my
credibility and to divert at-
tention from what I was ask-
ing,” Sharp said after the
lawsuit was dismissed in
February. “The fact that
they filed this just before the
deadline for legislation, they
clearly wanted legislators to
be intimidated by this law-
suit.”
Funding For Visual And
Performing Arts Supplies
Available To Oklahoma Schools
The Oklahoma State Bu-
reau of Investigation alleged
Epic illegally inflated its en-
rollment counts and embez-
zled millions in state funds,
according to court docu-
ments filed last year. Epic
has denied any wrongdoing.
No charges have been filed.
 Guthrie News Leader

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JJournal- CCapital
Pawhuska Journal-Capital

INSIDE
Pawhuska

SCHOOL REOPENING

Barnsdall, Avant push back start of classes

By Robert Smith
rsmith@pawhuskajournalcapital.com
Barnsdall Public Schools has
delayed the beginning of classes
for the 2020-21 school year
until next Monday, Aug. 24. The
school district originally planned
to begin classes Aug. 10, but
changed that in late July to Aug.
17.
The latest postponement
relates directly to concerns about
the spread of COVID-19, Super-
intendent Jeff Lay said.
“We had two staff members
test positive for COVID-19, and
several exposed to them (meeting
the within 6 feet for 15 minutes
criteria),” Lay said in an email
message Monday. “Being a small
school, we had to delay another
week until the quarantine and
isolation periods expire for those
staff members.”
Lay added, however, that
if results of COVID-19 tests
for exposed staff members are
adverse, the district will look at
beginning classes on a virtual
basis.
“Our plan is to open next
Monday, August 24, but the
results of COVID tests from the
exposed staff members could
change that decision,” Lay said.
“If we are unable to open next
Monday, our plan will be to begin
virtual learning for all students.”
COVID-19 is also having
an influence on Barnsdall’s
enrollment numbers, Lay said.
“Yes, COVID has affected our
enrollment numbers,” he said.
“We’ve had some families decide
to join Epic Charter Schools or
homeschool out of concerns
about the pandemic. We’ve also
had several students move out
of our district because of family
SEE CLASSES, A2

Property of OPS News Tracker and members of the Oklahoma Press Association.
 Pawhuska Journal-Capital
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19
2020
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A001
situations not related to
COVID. We are down
about 25 students from this
time last year.”
Nearby Pawhuska Public
Schools came into this
week with plans to begin
classes Aug. 20. Pawhuska
had not shifted its opening
date, but it had made alter-
ations in its school-opening
plan. The district’s board of
education voted last week
to adopt a 2020-21 learn-
ing plan that mandates
face masks for all students,
teachers, administra-
tors and visitors to school
campuses. Superintendent
David Cash made clear that
no school-related activity,
no matter how popular, is
immune from aggressive
action if students and fac-
ulty become ill.
Assistant Superinten-
dent Beverly Moore said
Monday about mid-after-
noon that “as of right now,
this minute, we’re on,”
which reflected that noth-
ing had yet changed the
Property of OPS News Tracker and members of the Oklahoma Press Association.
district’s plans. She added
that the board of education
The important thing
about delaying the start
would be meeting at 5:30 of the school year was to
p.m. Tuesday and could be provide enough time to see
influenced by an increase what the test results would
in COVID-19 positive tests be, she said.
over the weekend. Englett anticipated that
In Avant, which serves small, rural schools like
some 90 children from Avant are likely to feel
pre-kindergarten through a bigger impact when-
eighth grade, the school ever there is a positive
year is not scheduled to COVID-19 test, because
begin until Sept. 8, out of the infection of just a few
a sense of caution about students or community
COVID-19. members is, by percentage,
Superintendent Mindy a much bigger deal.
Englett said a recent hand-
ful of positive COVID-19
tests in the town of about m
300 led to school staff
members being exposed.
“Our problem was
nobody in Avant had it
for this whole time, and a
few weeks ago there were
four or five cases all of a
sudden,” Englett said.
Some of those who tested
positive were members of
employee families, she said.
As a result, staff members
needed to be tested.
“We’re all back this
week,” Englett said, noting
that tests conducted on HWY 99: Commercial develo
school employees came land located on Hwy 99. Goo
back “negative.” SRWHQWLDOIRURɝFHRUUHWDLOV
$195,000. Call for details!