Sparrow Academy in La Mesa is in jeopardy of being shut down for multiple violations.
The La Mesa-Spring Valley School District issued several violations for the charter school, including the facilities not being accessible to students with disabilities and not having enough space for the number of students it has.
Over 300 Kindergarten through 8th grade students attend the school.
Michelle D'Augusta, Sparrow Academy's Executive Director, said they've already begun addressing some of those concerns and are doing what they can to remain open.
She admits the notice of violation notice was disappointing.
"Because it has always been my intention to work with the district and fix the problems that were apparent when I first came in," D'Augusta said.
D'Augusta was brought in in November 2023 after the school was made aware of the district's concerns.
While the charter school operates independently from the school district, the district is responsible for renewing the charter every five years.
D'Augusta said when she first started, she did a staff audit and found a special education teacher did not have proper credentials, which is one of the violations.
The teacher was let go.
"Since then, we've been working diligently to make sure all of our special needs students have all of their service minutes and all of their needs met," she said.
Two other violations have to do with the school not being able to serve students with disabilities adequately.
"We do have ADA-compliant spaces. Our campus, like the majority of school campuses, is not 100 percent ADA compliant, so there's been a bit of misconception with that wording." D'Augusta said.
Sara Arellano Taitingfong, whose daughter requires a wheelchair, disagrees with the violation.
"Grace has access to everything she needs. She has access to restrooms. She has access to offices. She has access to the classrooms," Arellano Taitingfong said.
The charter school has shared its campus with a church in La Mesa for a little over ten years.
The district said the school does not have enough space for all of its students.
D'Augusta said they are looking to move the school to a different facility.
However, the facility can only fit 150 students, half of the current student population.
D'Augusta said she hopes to collaborate with the district to rectify the issues and keep the doors open for all students.
"We're going to be here through the end of this school year—I can promise that much—and we're going to work hard to make sure there's another school year," she said.
The school district also cited "concerns with the school's fiscal condition and practices."
The school must fix the violations by April 19.
LMSV School District Superintendent David Feliciano sent the following statement to 10News:
"Over the past two years, the district has worked closely with the school to resolve concerns. We have issued multiple letters of concern, yet issues have not been resolved. In fact, new and concerning issues have come to light. District staff have spent hundreds of hours supporting the school. Since January 2024, the district has been very transparent about the fact that a notice of violation would be issued if substantive changes were not made. One of the major hurdles we have faced is frequent turnover in district leadership. Several parent complaints have been brought to the district as well. Unfortunately, issues have not been resolved, rather, new issues have come up."
