“After losing appeal, Boston Avenue charter to be shut down.” Daytona Beach News-Journal (FL), 6/13/2013
An academically struggling DeLand charter school will close June 30 after losing an appellate court bid Thursday to put that deadline on indefinite hold.Volusia County school district officials announced the closure of Boston Avenue Charter School on Thursday afternoon, just hours after the 5th District Court of Appeal denied a pair of motions that would have allowed it to remain open indefinitely..."It's just another hurdle," said Micah Jackson, chief operating officer of School Management Solutions, the firm that runs the charter school that opened in 2008...Boston Avenue earned F's on two of its last three state report cards, a key point in the School Board's decision not to renew the charter that expired last June 30. The school's scores on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test — the basic building block of the state grading system — improved some this year.Last June, the Flagler School Board shut down Heritage Academy in Bunnell — also run by School Management Solutions — after it received two consecutive F grades. The 5th DCA denied a motion to put Heritage's closure on hold while the appeal was heard in that case, too, and the school withdrew its overall appeal in August.Boston Avenuecould continue to pursue its appeal even if it's forced to close June 30...
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“Jury: Former DeLand teacher raped student; Jose Antonio Tirado will spend the rest of his life in prison for raping an 11-year-old boy.” Orlando Sentinel (FL), 3/18/2010A former charter school teacher will spend the rest of his life in prison for raping an 11-year-old boy.A jury found Jose Antonio Tirado, 26, of Deltona, guilty of sexual battery on a child under 12, according to a report on News-JournalOnline.com.Prosecutors dropped a charge of lewd and lascivious molestation against Tirado, who worked as a fifth-grade teacher at Boston Avenue Charter School in DeLand, according to the report...
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“DeLand charter-school teacher charged with sex crime.” West Volusia Beacon (FL), 5/30/2009
DeLand charter-school teacher Jose Tirado Jr. remains in the Volusia County Branch Jail without bond, charged with sexual battery of a child under the age of 12. Investigators are continuing to search for other potential victims...Tirado, a fifth-grade teacher at Boston Avenue Charter School in DeLand, had been running a summer day camp at his home. The victim and his family had known Tirado for about three years, the charging affidavit stated.The victim spent the night at Tirado's home on Dublin Road in Deltona May 14, in preparation for an early departure for a field trip the next morning...The boy said he struggled and told Tirado to stop, but Tirado held the boy down with his hand on the boy's chest and proceeded to perform the sexual act...Principal Frank Jones at Boston Avenue Charter School said the school had received no complaints about Tirado."He had a very thorough background check," Jones said.Jones said all the charter school's teachers are screened and background-checked through the county school district. In addition, though only staff involved in the preschool or the school's extended day-care program are checked through DCF, Tirado came to the school "with credentials," Jones said. He had already been checked through DCF...
