SAN ANTONIO – The San Antonio School for Inquiry and Creativity charter school district has been shut down for safety reasons, leaving students and staff wondering what's next. The state has suspended the San Antonio School for Inquiry and Creativity and the campuses associated with it.
Junior Nick Garcia loves the San Antonio School for Inquiry and Creativity, which specializes in fine arts, graphics, design and film.
"A small school, it was a drastic change for me because you could really get engaged with your teachers," he said.
Wednesday after class he said several teachers dealt students some baffling news. The Texas Education Agency had shut the school down.
"They told us not to show up Thursday or Friday and notify other students not to come either," Garcia said.
Garcia said the teachers had just been in a meeting with administrators, and didn't explain if the school would be open after spring break next week.
However, the TEA suspension order shows effective Wednesday, March 8, all campus locations are no longer allowed to operate and receive funding until "the agency determines the school is able to adequately safeguard the welfare of its students in compliance with Texas law."
The document shows a 72-hour suspension notice was given back on February 16, claiming the school needed to provide a health inspection with no violations. It mentions prior deficiencies that threatened student health and safety were never corrected.
The suspension is in effect until TEA determines that the school can "adequately safeguard the welfare and safety of its students in compliance with Texas law."
A hearing on the matter is scheduled for Friday afternoon in Austin.
TEA did not specify what those deficiencies were, but Garcia believes he knows.
"Over the break some of the food had went bad, and they still served it afterwards," he said.
He said the school had been under close watch.
"We had been hearing stuff about the school, like something was wrong with the food, or just little things, and somebody would come by and check on it and we thought they would fix it," Garcia said.
Wednesday's official suspension dashed those hopes, leaving students like Garcia worried about their academic futures.
The suspension applies to any incorporated campuses. The school's website says that includes two Monticello Academy campuses grades kindergarten through four, and the San Antonio School for Inquiry & Creativity, grades five through 12.
KSAT tried to speak with school administrators Wednesday but none made themselves available for comment.
Order of Suspension.pdf by David Ibanez on Scribd