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Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise
CHARTER SCHOOL INVESTIGATION
OSBI meets with district
attorney about Epic
By Nolan Clay
and Nuria Martinez-Keel
GateHouse Oklahoma
Two OSBI agents on
Wednesday updated
Oklahoma County Dis-
trict Attorney David
Prater about their prog-
ress on the investigation
into Epic Charter Schools,
the state’s largest virtual
charter school system.
“The investigation is
ongoing,” Prater said after
the 90-minute meet-
ing Wednesday. “I just
advised them to run out
all their leads to the end.”
The meeting comes
as officials in Oklahoma
City Public Schools, the
largest school district in
the state, have discussed
accepting students from
Epic if the virtual school
is forced to close because
of the investigation.
The Oklahoma State
Bureau of Investigation
has been looking into Epic
and its founders since
2013. Prater will decide
whether any charges are
Property of OPS News Tracker and members of the Oklahoma Press Association.
Epic Charter Schools in Oklahoma City on Aug. 21. BRYAN TERRY/
GATEHOUSE OKLAHOMA
warranted once the fraud
and embezzlement inves-
tigation is complete. The
meeting Wednesday was
his second this year with
the OSBI about Epic.
“We hope this means
we are one step closer to
an end to this seemingly
ceaseless investigation,”
said Shelly Hickman, Epic
assistant administrator of
communications.
Oklahoma City school
administrators have
addressed the possibil-
ity of a sudden influx of
Epic students, said Beth
Harrison, district chief
communications officer.
State schools Superin-
tendent Joy Hofmeister
said the OSBI has advised
against disrupting student
education at Epic.
At Edmond Public
Schools, officials said
they would add extra flex
sections at the three high
schools or hire Epic staff
to teach new students if
Epic’s educational ser-
vices are halted, district
spokeswoman Susan
Parks-Schlepp said.
The district estimated
Epic has between 250
and 400 students from
Edmond.
The OSBI recommended
the Oklahoma State
Department of Education
continue funding Epic
as usual this school year,
Hofmeister said. Epic’s
initial allocation of state
funds was set at $112.96
million for fiscal year
2019-20.
Investigators alleged
Epic unlawfully inflated
its enrollment with “ghost
students” who received
little or no instruction
from the virtual charter
school.
Epic has denied any
wrongdoing.
The OSBI also alleged
Epic co-founders David
Chaney and Ben Harris
illegally profited $10 mil-
lion from state funds that
flowed through the virtual
school to its management
company, Epic Youth
Services. The company
receives 10% of Epic’s
state funds for operating
the virtual school system.
 The Shawnee News-Star

Aug
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Property of OPS News Tracker and members of the Oklahoma Press Association.