Court Mandates Immediate Closure of Walton Academy

A charter school in Hillsborough County, Walton Academy, has been ordered to shut down by a judge, a decision rooted in significant safety concerns. This development follows an emergency legal hearing where attorneys representing the school argued that the environment was unsafe for students, necessitating immediate closure.

The Hillsborough County School Board had already taken decisive action on Tuesday, voting to revoke the school’s charter due to persistent safety risks that had not been adequately addressed. This decision was brought to the attention of Judge Helene Daniel, who reviewed the evidence during a session on Friday afternoon.

In court, the school district presented its case, supported by testimony from the head of security for the school system. The security official highlighted that the safety issues at Walton Academy were not new but had been a longstanding concern, prompting the urgent need for the school’s closure to ensure student safety.

Friday afternoon, Judge Helene Daniel heard evidence presented by the school district and an attorney for Walton Academy.

The head of security for the school system told the court the security issues at the school have been going on for a long time.

“There hasn’t been an audit yet where there hasn’t been a safety deficiency,” said Chief John Newman.

However, the Principal of the school told the court, all of the safety issues have now been fixed.

“Everything we had on campus was operating,” said Tanika Walton, Principal of Walton Academy.
However, after listening to all of the evidence, Judge Daniel ruled the school must immediately close.

“I think the evidence suggests to this court that the students are not actually currently safe, that there is an ongoing threat to these children,” said Daniel.

The school has the right to appeal the decision and the decision by the school board to terminate its charter.