Cincinnati Public Schools says about 100 new students have enrolled in the district between this Sunday and Monday afternoon after local charter school Dohn Community High School announced its abrupt closure Friday.
The charter school announced earlier this year that it would close its doors this summer, citing financial issues and an Ohio Auditor's Office investigation into its operator, the Cincinnati Charter School Collaborative. Its Board of Directors now says the school won't make it to the end of the year due to "insurmountable financial challenges."
“Despite our best efforts to overcome financial challenges, we have exhausted all viable options to keep the school open," Dohn Interim Superintendent Bill Geraghty said in a statement Friday.
Dohn Community High School was founded in 2001 as a recovery-focused school for students struggling with addiction. It mainly focused on educating students with significant academic challenges. Ohio Department of Education & Workforce data shows 1,676 students attended the charter school last school year.
'We're here for all kids'
With just a few weeks left before the end of the current school year, CPS Superintendent Shauna Murphy says the school district is ready to welcome all Dohn students, especially seniors close to getting their high school diploma.
"We can provide them with a pathway to graduation and to graduate on time and as a member of the class of 2025," Murphy told WVXU.
Some of Dohn's students previously had been expelled from CPS, but Murphy says those students will be welcomed back to the district.
"We are here for kids and when I say that, I mean we're here for all kids," Murphy said. "Even if you were previously suspended or expelled from a Cincinnati Public School, this is not 'forever and ever, amen.' We are a district that believes in restorative practices."
Murphy says while many students and their families have contacted CPS about enrollment in the past two days, the school district's Customer Care Center will be open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on weekdays to enroll even more students through the end of the school year.
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