Epic Charter Schools
Epic Charter Schools is a virtual charter school founded in the U.S. state of Oklahoma in 2011. During the 2010s the school saw rapid expansion and became one of the largest school districts in Oklahoma. Founders David Chaney and Ben Harris were fired in 2021, and later criminally charged in 2022, for mismanaging the district. As of 2023, the school continues to operate in Oklahoma.
History
Epic Charter Schools was founded in 2011 by David Chaney and Ben Harris and was officially chartered by Graham Public Schools in Okfuskee County. In 2010, before its official founding, the school won a lawsuit allowing it to receive a state school code for funding and vendor selection before it officially opened on September 1, 2011. In 2011, the school won another lawsuit allowing it to open four "Blended Learning Centers" in Tulsa and Oklahoma City where students could use computers to access their online curriculum. In 2013, Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction Janet Barresi withheld the schools report card, stating the information submitted by Epic "leads me to question the validity and the integrity of EPIC Charter School's assessment data." Epic filed a lawsuit and the grades were later released.Audits and investigations
In 2014, the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation opened a fraud investigation into Epic on the request of Governor Mary Fallin.In July 2019, Governor Kevin Stitt and State Superintendent Joy Hofmeister ordered an audit of Epic Charter Schools. In February 2020, State Auditor Cindy Byrd's office subpoenaed Epic Youth Services and in March she sought court orders to comply with the subpoenas. In October, Byrd's office released an audit of Epic Charter School finding the school owed the state $8.9 million and summarized the audit with the remarks "We cannot determine if is entitled to the $80 million they received." In December, a second investigation found Epic Charter Schools incorrectly classified as much as $9.73 million. Mike Cantrell resigned from Epic Charter Schools board and was replaced by J.P. Franklin in January 2021 during the investigation. Later in May, Epic Charter Schools cancelled their contract with Epic Youth Services, owned by the schools co-founders Ben Harris and David Chaney. Board member Betsy Brown, J.P. Franklin and Doug Scott were also forced to resign. This was done so Epic Charter Schools could keep their state virtual charter certification after Epic Youth Services refused to cooperate with the audit.
In February 2022, Attorney General John M. O'Connor announced that Oklahoma County District Attorney David Prater would investigate and prosecute any criminal case regarding the Epic Charter Schools investigation. On June 23, 2022, the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation arrested Epic co-founders Ben Harris and David Chaney and former CFO Josh Brock. They were charged with racketeering, embezzlement, obtaining money by false pretense, conspiracy to commit a felony, violation of the Computer Crimes Act, submitting false documents to the state, and unlawful proceeds.