A Texas charter school co-founded by Deion Sanders, the Hall of Fame cornerback, has been effectively shut down by the state for failing to adhere to standard financial management practices as well as the Texas education code.
KDFW Dallas-Forth Worth reported that the State of Texas moved Tuesday to revoke the charter of Uplift Fort Worth, the parent company of the school, Prime Prep Academy.
"We're getting punished in 2014 because of the negligence and ignorance of a former co-founder which we have rid ourselves of," Sanders said on a local radio program this week,
according to CBS News. Sanders was speaking of former CEO and co-founder D.L. Wallace, who started a Summer Food Program in 2011 at the school.
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He said that Wallace and his wife were banned after abusing the program, but Wallace was allowed back after alleging racism.
"Once again, he did the same type of practices that he did before, and they found blemish once again," he explained. "Then, ensued with banning him for life."
The state's Department of Agriculture sent Wallace a notice of serious deficiency with the program in December 2012 after a review. They found that three years' worth of records required to be kept by law were not available upon their request. That means there was no proof that approximately $45,000 the school was reimbursed for actually resulted in the feeding of children.
Sanders told KDFW that he was determined to keep the school open, saying "We talking about $45,000. I give you that right now. Let's get rid of this."
He tweeted a similar sentiment to the public that same day.
Sanders said that much of the trouble caused by Wallace in 2012 went unnoticed by him because he was wrapped up in his own divorce from his wife.
"My mind was on my kids and winning custody of my kids — which I did," he said on the radio.
After the divorce was out of the way, he hired a private investigator who uncovered Wallace's unscrupulous management, which led to his termination.
A man named Ron Price, who was brought in to clean up Prime Prep after the firing, now serves as superintendent.
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