Bankrupt, TiZA Decides Not to Appeal State's Decision

Tarek ibn Ziyad Academy, an embattled charter school that serves 540 students at two campuses in Inver Grove Heights and Blaine, has decided not to fight a state decision that led to its closure earlier this summer.

According to a report in the Star Tribune, the school's board voted Tuesday evening not to appeal the Minnesota Department of Education's decision to deny a request by a potential authorizer that would have permitted the school to remain open.

In order to remain open, charter schools are required by law to have an authorizer. An amended state law, which took effect at the beginning of July, prohibits Minnesota charter schools from having out-of-state authorizers. TiZA's previous authorizer, Islamic Relief USA, is based in Virginia. Minnesota-based Novation Education Opportunities applied several times to become the school's authorizer.

TiZA filed for bankruptcy on June 30.

"I think it's fairly obvious that TiZA is recognizing that it has been forced to involuntarily cease operations," TiZA Attorney Shamus O'Meara said, according to the Star Tribune article. "Its students are transferred into other schools. The staff has found employment with other schools. Prospects to have an operating school this fall or at any time in the future are bleak."

The decision will likley affect the pending lawsuit brought against TiZA by the American Civil Liberties Union, O'Meara was also quoted as saying in the Star Tribune.

For more information about the beleaguered school's legal fight, check out these recent Patch articles:

• Q&A: Somber Days Ahead for TiZA Teachers and Students