MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — A recently fired Alabama charter school president is accusing the academy of breaching her contract, supporting a culture of nepotism and discriminating against students with special needs.
Former LEAD Academy principal Nicole Ivey is suing Montgomery's first charter, alleging that among a dozen complaints, the school tries to discourage special needs students' enrollment in order to boost revenue and academic achievement.
Ivey says the school's founder, Charlotte Meadows, has suggested the charter doesn't have to obey nondiscrimination laws. The suit claims there's an effort to encourage special needs students' withdrawal.
The lawsuit also accuses Meadows of running her state Legislature campaign on school grounds and allowing her niece, campaign chair and father to work for the academy.
The Montgomery Advertiser reports LEAD has responded calling Ivey's accusations "false and misleading."
