The Jackson Madison County School Board has made a decision on what action to take in the wake of action by the Tennessee Public Charter School Commission.

On October 5th the state commission overturned the decision of the local school board to deny the application of the American Classical Academy.

The school system has since voiced concerns about possible inconsistencies in the treatment of the application compared to the way the Public Charter School Commission dealt with other applications.

There are also concerns among school system advocates about how well the Public Charter School Commission understands and is able to follow its own rules.

“We were crystal clear and very deliberate in following the state’s guidelines and rules during the process and stand by our decision.”, School Board Chairman Pete Johnson told elected officials and members of the community at a press conference after the board’s special called meeting Monday.

The school board has now authorized attorneys for the school system to investigate and research what potential legal remedies are available.

The President of the Jackson Madison County Education Foundation, Tina Mercer, is pleased with the decision to get the legal team involved.

“You have nine elected people in this county vote not to accept the application for a charter school,” said Mercer. “How do nine elected people get overruled by nine people appointed to a state board?”

Madison County Commissioner Shelia Godwin and NAACP President Harrell Carter are of the opinion that the push for a Charter School by Governor Bill Lee is the reason the Charter Commission overruled the vote by the Jackson Madison County School Board, with Carter claiming, “This is a takeover by the governor and by the state.”