Judge upholds state’s closing of Charlotte’s Crossroads Charter High

A judge this week upheld the North Carolina Board of Education’s decision to close Crossroads Charter High School in Charlotte after years of low test scores and financial problems.

The Crossroads board went to court to challenge the February vote, saying it was based on “biased, flawed” information provided by state Office of Charter Schools staff and a Charter Schools Advisory Board review that didn’t let the school make its case.

Administrative Law Judge Selina Brooks ruled in favor of the state, saying Crossroads didn’t prove the state had acted improperly.

Crossroads opened in 2001 and was originally an alternative school for at-risk teens. It had 163 students last school year. Earlier this year the state denied charter renewal to two longstanding Charlotte schools, Crossroads and Kennedy. Without a charter, schools cannot continue to receive public money.

This story was originally published July 15, 2016 at 3:26 PM with the headline "Judge upholds state’s closing of Charlotte’s Crossroads Charter High."