HARRISBURG, PA. − January 22, 2019 − Senator Lindsey Williams joined education advocates and representatives of One Pennsylvania, Education Rights Network, Pennsylvania Interface Impact Network, and the Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers today to urge the Pennsylvania Charter School Appeal Board to reject Catalyst Academy’s efforts to challenge the denial of their charter application.

“I listened to the Catalyst Academy presentation and read their materials with an open mind during their application,” said Senator Williams, “but what I found was that Catalyst’s proposed charter school didn’t offer anything that Pittsburgh Public Schools doesn’t already offer to its students.”

Pittsburgh Public School board members unanimously rejected the Catalyst Academy charter application in February 2018, citing concerns including the school’s overbroad, aggressive proposed disciplinary policies and lack of plans to meet the needs of special education students.

“We’re here today asking the Charter School Appeal Board to look at the mountain of evidence that the Pittsburgh Public School Board has presented about the deficiencies in Catalyst Academy’s application and to follow existing charter school law and deny the application.”

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