Future students of American Classical Academy Rutherford will begin school at a building just off I-24 in La Vergne.Leaders of the new public charter school announced Tuesday morning that 2 Ingram Boulevard in La Vergne is under contract and they’re in the process of purchasing the building.

American Classical Education’s (ACE) appeal to open the first public charter school in Maury County faced a new criticism at Thursday’s public hearing with the Tennessee Public Charter School Commission.Maury County resident Jackie Marshall accused the organization of essentially trying to start a religious school on taxpayer dollars through its connections to Michigan-based Hillsdale college.“Hillsdale College is about theology. Considering Hillsdale’s Middle Tennessee Board, which is made up of conservative evangelicals, it worries me that this charter school will become similar to the religious private schools that Maury County has so many of. Keep religion, politics, and a false curriculum out of Maury County Public Schools,” said Marshall.

American Classical Education withdrew its appeals for proposed charter schools connected to Hillsdale College after local districts rejected them and public outcry ensued.

Tennesseans overwhelmingly opposed Hillsdale-linked charter schools in written comments, criticizing curriculum and concerns over government overreach. The state commission will vote on the applications in October.

For the third straight day, administrators with a proposed public charter school connected to Hillsdale College faced questions about their community support and the curriculum teachers would be using.Clarksville-Montgomery County School System District Director of Policy and Continuous Improvement Elizabeth Vincent told the Tennessee Public Charter School Commission that American Classical Education’s application to open American Classical Academy Montgomery left out important details about how its Hillsdale connected curriculum has performed in other states.

At a public hearing in Jackson Thursday morning, Administrators with the Jackson-Madison County School System told the Tennessee Public Charter School Commission that ACE’s application to establish the American Classical Academy Madison had no plan to support struggling students and those with disabilities.

Rutherford County Schools says it had reasons far beyond controversial statements about teachers to deny American Classical Education’s application to open a charter school.The district says the organization’s application not only failed to show a plan for students with disabilities and learning needs, but it also lacked evidence of true community support.

Rutherford County Schools says it had reasons far beyond controversial statements about teachers to deny American Classical Education’s application to open a charter school.The district says the organization’s application not only failed to show a plan for students with disabilities and learning needs, but it also lacked evidence of true community support.

American Classical Education (ACE) appealed all three denials to the Tennessee Public Charter School Commission where the group now claims it has been wrongfully connected to Hillsdale. In two filings with the commission, American Classical Education is making a visible attempt to distance itself from the college.

Going into college, my biggest fear was that I wouldn’t be smart enough. Most of my future peers had years of AP classes under their belts, and in some cases, a full semester of college. I had none of those things, except for a few classes taught by my high school teachers with curriculum provided by the closest community college.

This fall a little-known state board could play a huge role in expanding school choice options for parents across the state.The Tennessee Public Charter School Commission will decide the appeals of thirteen potential new public charter schools who all were previously denied by their local school boards.