State: BlueSky Online Charter School can stay open
An online charter school that faced closure by the state of Minnesota will be allowed to remain open.
BlueSky Online Charter School, based in West St. Paul, has been under investigation by the Minnesota Department of Education for more than two years.
State officials say BlueSky illegally gave diplomas to students who hadn't met state standards.
But in her final ruling, Education Commissioner Brenda Cassellius now says the state doesn't have enough evidence justify a shut down BlueSky at this time.
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"It's great news for us," said Dan Cook, the school's spokesman. "The actions will cease and we can go back to the business of educating our students."
Cook said the investigation took a toll on the school's enrollment, which fell from 900 to just over 400 students
"With this ruling we can finally, once and for all, put it to rest," Cook said. "It's done, it's over, we won, we didn't repeatedly violate the law, we didn't graduate students illegally, so please come back to us."
In her ruling, Cassellius said the Education Department can still monitor BlueSky's business and take further corrective action if necessary.