Alabama’s first charter school has been cleared to open in Mobile.
The state’s Public Charter School Commission voted yesterday to allow the Accel Day and Evening Academy to begin operating. The school plans to serve students at least 16 years of age who have either dropped out of school or fallen behind academically. The Mobile Area Education Foundation plans to open the school starting next August.
The charter school commission also granted preliminary approval for a sports-themed school in Huntsville. But the commission says the school operators will have to get separate approval due to a federal court order on desegregation in Huntsville public schools. Plans for another charter school in the Huntsville area were rejected by the board.
Last year, Alabama lawmakers passed legislation allowing charter schools, which are publicly funded but have more autonomy than normal public schools.