A post in the Tennessee Parents blog complains about the “Rocketship Charter School Nightmare in Tennessee.” Parents say that anyone who attended an informational session about the Rocketship Charter School discovered that their child’s records were pulled and moved to Rocketship. When they went to their zoned school, they were told that they had enrolled in Rocketship, even though they had not.
A parent wrote:
“Apparently ANY family that went to an info session about the new Rocketship Charter Schools had their records pulled without permission. So students and parents showed up the first day of school only to find out that they were not registered at their zoned school. Their children were registered at Rocketship without their permission.
So they went to Rocketship to get their children switched back to their zoned school, and it was like walking into a high-pressure timeshare sales job. Rocketship pressured them to stick around and try it. It was a nightmare to get Rocketship to release their child’s records to re-enroll in their zoned school. This happened to over 100 families. A bait-and-switch nightmare with their children’s school placement.
Rocketship also confused ELL and immigrant families by misleading them to believe that they were supposed to go to charters. It is a mess. Strangely, the media isn’t picking up on it. There is a lot of hush-hush. Some are wondering if they are trying to keep students there past the 20th day to get the ADA funding and to boost their enrollment numbers.”
Diane Ravitch's blog 
“timeshare sales job” is exactly what I was thinking while I was reading ON THE ROCKETSHIP.
I hope every one of those parents sues.
This sounds criminal to me and the worst possible advertisement for charter schools. I hope that lawsuits start to flow from this egregious misuse of public trust.
I would encourage everyone to visit http://www.stoprocketship.com which is mentioned and linked in this link. This story is only one of the hair-raising stories you’ll read there.
There are a couple of legal issues that need to be highlighted and disseminated to a wide audience. One is the release of educational records without parental permission. Who violated FERPA and why? The second issue is the fact that Rocketship apparently tricked the parents into enrolling their children and then made it difficult for parents to exercise their parental authority. Sounds like illegal sales practices that needs a look into by a consumer protection agency. If the media is not picking up on this, one has to ask who is paying their salaries.
Agreed, this is class action material.
Headline news for charter alert:
“Racketeership charter schools abducting Nashville students to their spaceship.”
TAGO!
So Rocketship is “slamming” students? If this was cellular phone service families would have the FCC to offer some protection.
Yet again, why be surprised at these tactics. These kinds of things are the modus operandi of these political entities whose bottom line is money. All is fair is love and war to them. This is why it is essential they be fought with all the might we can bring to bear.
What is interesting is that the local press IS covering the school. Andre Agassi was on the front page of the Tennessean just this week. No mention, of course, of records transfers: http://www.tennessean.com/story/news/education/2014/09/16/andre-agassi-nashville-embraces-investor-led-approach-help-schools/15743641/
Andy Finch, did the Tennessean mention that Andre Agassi’s model school has been riddled with failed promises and heavy staff churn? See the description of it in my book “Reign of Error.”
“Tennessee law doesn’t authorize for-profit groups to operate publicly financed, privately led charters. Agassi has brought a new concept to Nashville only as it pertains to the real estate side of charters.
Most charter operators in Nashville — 26 are approved to operate by next year — rent buildings from the school district or space elsewhere. Only private funds, not public dollars, go toward facilities or land purchase for charters in Tennessee.”
It’s just such a joke. Tennessee doesn’t allow for profit groups to “operate” charters, but they allow for profit groups to invest in BUILDING charters and then they run around calling the schools non-profits.
I knew that thin, faint line they drew between non profits and for profits would be breached, and they’d jettison the “non profit” ethos sooner rather than later, and they have.
They learned absolutely nothing from the ongoing trainwreck that is for profit colleges. Nothing.
http://www.consumerfinance.gov/newsroom/cfpb-sues-for-profit-corinthian-colleges-for-predatory-lending-scheme/