Members of the Jackson-Madison County School Board voted unanimously Thursday to withdraw a lawsuit they approved less than a year ago, in hopes of stopping the county’s first public charter school.

That lawsuit would have challenged a decision last year by the Tennessee Public Charter School Commission to approve American Classical Academy Jackson-Madison.

The Jackson-Madison School Board officially authorized its attorney to begin pursuing a legal challenge to last month’s decision to grant the county’s first public charter school.Board attorney Dale Thomas says he now plans to file a lawsuit in hopes of overturning the Tennessee Public Charter School Commission’s decision in favor of the application from American Classical Education (ACE) to open a school in Jackson.  The commission’s decision overturned an earlier vote by school board members against ACE in July.

Jackson-Madison County Schools made the unusual move Wednesday to publicly attack a recommendation by the Executive Director of the Tennessee Public Charter School Commission to approve what would be the county’s first public charter school.This week Tess Stovall recommended approving an appeal by American Classical Education (ACE), finding its academic, financial, and operations plans for American Classical Academy Jackson - Madison all meet state requirements. Stovall recommended denying ACE’s other appeal for a sister school in Maury County.

Four proposed public charter schools in Memphis, Nashville, and Jackson are all receiving new support from a key state board leader.Tennessee Public Charter School Commission Executive Director Tess Stovall recommended commissioners approve those schools’ appeals at two meetings later this week.

American Classical Education (ACE) will have to overcome opposition from one of Tennessee’s historically black colleges and universities if it’s going to successfully open the first public charter school in Madison County.Lane College ‘s Chief of Staff/Vice President of Institutional Advancement Darlette Samuels was among those speaking against ACE’s appeal to the Tennessee Public Charter School Commission. 

The approval process for proposed new public charter schools is about to begin its second round for school districts across the state.Four school boards will be voting on amended applications this month from nine public charter schools that were all denied in the spring.