A former administrator from Truebright Science Academy Charter School will testify about operations of the North Philadelphia charter when a school district hearing resumes Thursday.
The charter school, which is linked to a controversial Turkish imam, is fighting to remain open.
A Common Pleas Court judge ruled in late February that Susan Farley-Ellison could be compelled to testify even though she had reached a settlement agreement with Truebright that barred her from mentioning the agreement or saying anything negative about the school.
Farley-Ellison, who was the charter’s supervisor of curriculum and instruction for a year, left in July 2011. She was one of the highest-ranking Americans ever employed by Truebright.
The charter school’s administrators and board members and many of its teachers are Turkish nationals, many of whom are working in the United States on nonimmigrant visas.
Last April, the School Reform Commission took the first step to close the school by voting not to renew Truebright’s operating charter on 18 grounds, including poor academic performance and lack of certified teachers.
Truebright’s decision to appeal that preliminary decision triggered a hearing that gives the school an opportunity to present its case for staying open.
The proceedings began in July but have been on hiatus since November while lawyers sparred over Farley-Ellison’s testimony.
The district asked the court to order Farley-Ellison to testify after her lawyer, Michael J. Hawley, said she could not comply with a district-issued subpoena because it could not be legally enforced.
In documents filed with the court, the district revealed that terms of the settlement agreement prevented Farley-Ellison from disclosing that a settlement had been reached. The agreement also barred her from making any negative statements about Truebright’s reputation, officers, employees, financial status, and operations.
The district argued that Farley-Ellison’s testimony was needed for a matter of “great public concern” - the nonrenewal of a taxpayer-funded charter school.
Hawley said the judge ruled that Farley-Ellison had to testify and could not be subjected to a civil suit for complying with a court order.
Once the revocation hearing is over, the district’s hearing officer will make a report to the SRC, which will take a final vote on whether to renew the school’s operating charter.
If the SRC votes against renewal, Truebright can appeal to the state Charter Appeals Board.
Truebright, which opened in 2007, focuses on science and technology. The school had 324 students in seventh through 12th grades last year.
Located at 926 W. Sedgley Ave., Truebright is one of more than 130 charters nationwide run by followers of Imam M. Fetullah Gulen, who lives in self-imposed exile in the Poconos.