Palmetto Youth Academy withdraws appeal of charter renewal denial

FLORENCE, S.C. (WBTW) — Palmetto Youth Academy has dropped an appeal challenging the May 2023 denial of its charter by Florence One Schools trustees, district officials said on Monday.

“This action validates the administration’s decision and the determination of the Florence 1 Board of Trustees,” Superintendent Richard O’Malley said in a statement. “The district is pleased that this matter will be resolved in its favor.”

O’Malley said the district is “still pursuing” recovery of taxpayer funds. Palmetto Youth Academy ended its legal challenge Sept. 13. The school, which served 75 at-risk students in grades three through six, opened in 2005.

News13 has reported extensively on the dispute, which found its way into Gov. Henry McMaster’s office and one of the state’s highest courts.

On March 6, 2023, O’Malley sent a letter to PYA’s executive director Yvonne Brown-Burgess saying he would recommend that trustees not renew its certification, which they agreed to days later.

Among other reasons, district leaders voted down PYA’s charter renewal because less than 75% of its teachers were state certified, it didn’t meet 2022 academic standards, lacked a performing arts curriculum and failed to send report cards out to parents.

On top of that, the academy was running under a parent non-profit called Palmetto Youth Services, which last summer had a cash balance of more than $1.2 million, according to the district.

A six-hour long appeal hearing took place on April 21, where officials upheld their original ruling. Burgess then brought her case to the state’s Administrative Law Court, which in August 2023 denied its request to stay open.

O’Malley said on Monday the district plans to recoup funds controlled by Palmetto Youth Services.

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Adam Benson joined the News13 digital team in January 2024. He is a veteran South Carolina reporter with previous stops at the Greenwood Index-Journal, Post & Courier and The Sun News in Myrtle Beach. Adam is a Boston native and University of Utah graduate. Follow Adam on X, formerly Twitter, at @AdamNewshound12 . See more of his work here .

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