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The Clinton Daily News
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Epic Charter Schools’
for-profit management
company has refused
to provide its financial
records to the state audi-
tor’s office, which has
now asked a judge to
intervene.
The records sought by
three subpoenas, dating
back to October 2019,
have not been supplied,
according to a mo-
tion filed in Oklahoma
County District Court by
the state Attorney Gen-
eral’s Office on Thursday.
Those records include
access to email accounts, student’s state fund- an investigative audit three subpoenas – filed in and families who refer
credit card statements, ing that is set aside to into Epic Charter Schools October, November and new students are re-
bank be used on curriculum, and its related entities, February – the state At- warded with an addi-
state- technology items and including Epic Youth Ser- torney General filed the tional deposit into their
ments, a extracurricular ac- vices, in July at the re- motion to compel, ask- student’s fund.
vendor tivities. Those funds are quest of Gov. Kevin Stitt ing a judge to force Epic Epic makes at least
list and transferred to Epic Youth and State Superintendent Youth Services to hand $1,000 available to each
other Services, which manages of Public Instruction Joy over the information to student annually in the
informa- the online charter school, Hofmeister. the auditor. student’s learning fund.
tion. and totaled approximate- The auditor first tried A criminal investiga- Dollars are deducted for
Many ly $42 million from 2011 to obtain the records tion by the Oklahoma their choice of curriculum
of the to 2019, according to the through a records re- State Bureau of Investi- and for a plethora of other
records court filing. quest. Epic Youth Ser- gation is ongoing. items such as laptops and
Jennifer
relate An attorney for Epic vices denies the records Epic is the only virtual iPads, science kits and
Palmer to the Youth Services did not are public because it is a school in Oklahoma that craft supplies, soccer club
school’s immediately return a call private entity, according uses a “learning fund.” fees, horseback riding
“learning seeking comment. to the court filing. It’s a big recruitment lessons, gymnastics and
fund,” a portion of each The state auditor began After five months and tool to attract students, summer camps.
Property of OPS News Tracker and members of the Oklahoma Press Association.