LAUSD Charter School Forced To Find A New Home

DEL REY (CBSLA.com) — An LAUSD charter school in Del Rey will soon find itself without a home after the district informed Citizens of the World (CWC) Mar Vista that it can no longer remain on an elementary school's campus.

Since the charter school opened last year at Stoner Avenue Elementary, some local parents claim CWC has been a detriment to their neighborhood, with added traffic and providing an unsafe environment for students at both schools.

A woman living nearby who asked not to be identified claims she received a threatening letter from one of the CWC parents.

Some parents complain locked gates were sometimes left open and mentioned an incident where a child was treated inappropriatedly.

"There was a child who had pooped their pants and was taken out in front of the school, stripped naked and hosed down, by the charter school," local mother Jen Smith said.

"No, that's not what happened in that situation," according to CWC Principal Alison Kerr, who says safety is her top concern.

Students are currently on a waiting list to attend the charter school, whose officials claim its academic results are in the top 10 percent in the city.

"I feel very lucky and I feel quite blessed that my child gets to go to this school," one CWC mother told CBS2/KCAL9 reporter Art Barron.

Under Proposition 39 the charter school has the option to co-locate at a public school but Principal Alison Kerr says the LAUSD recently sent a letter to Stoner Elementary indicating it wouldn't have to share space with the charter school next year.

Parents will meet with district Superintendent John Deasy next week to try and convince him to keep CWC in Del Rey.

"My intention is that we will be here, and I hope that we are here, because, as I've said before, we have built a lot of very good relationships here," Kerr said.

LAUSD spokesperson Monica Carazo released a statement Friday which reads, in part, that the district "understands the concerns from parents, due to several factors particularly CWC'S lack of adherence to the legal Proposition 39 process. Citizens of the World was advised of its need to explore an appropriate facilities solution."

The charter school's legal team sent the district a five-page letter Thursday stating that even though it's entitled to remain on the Stoner Ave. campus, it's willing to discuss another location nearby.