HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — Hillsborough County Public Schools filed an emergency injunction Thursday asking a judge to immediately close Walton Academy for the Performing Arts. The legal action was taken after the charter school continued operating despite having its charter terminated over serious safety deficiencies.
The school district unanimously voted Tuesday to close the Tampa charter school, citing "serious security deficiencies" discovered by both state and district inspectors. However, the school remained open, which prompted the district to seek court intervention.
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"Every day that Walton Academy continues operating poses an unacceptable risk on more than one-hundred primary-school pupils," the district stated in its court filing.
The school district’s injunction will be heard by a judge on Friday at 2 p.m.
The safety concerns stem from a September 5 inspection by the Florida Department of Education's Office of Safe Schools, which found multiple violations of state safety requirements, which were implemented after the 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
Inspectors discovered that safe areas in classrooms were not clearly marked, the school's emergency alert system was not functioning adequately and perimeter gates were unlocked during school hours. The alert system is designed to immediately notify first responders during emergencies.
"There have been district inspections out at Walton Academy and state inspections which are completely different that identify a lot of the same inconsistent compliance issues," said John Newman, Hillsborough County Public Schools' chief of school security, during this Tuesday school board meeting.
In an Oct. 9 letter to Superintendent Van Ayres, the state revealed that Walton Academy had been cited for similar safety violations multiple times since May 2024.
"This lack of regard for student safety has been the norm for several years," wrote Darren Norris, vice chancellor of the Office of Safe Schools, in the letter to Ayres.
During Tuesday's school board meeting, Walton Academy Principal Tanika Walton said the safety issues had been corrected.
"The concerns outlined by the district and state have been fully addressed, corrected and documented," Walton said.
Numerous parents and community members who attended Tuesday's meeting pleaded with the school board to keep the performing arts charter school open.
Angela Boone was one of the dozens in attendance. Her two daughters attended Walton Academy, and her sister currently works there.
"They administrators and the people at [Walton Academy] — they need to fight this to the fullest. Until the end. Until the end," she said. "If there is an error somewhere, or if something needs to be corrected, then there should be a time where you give the school or whomever to correct the issue."
Despite the passionate appeals, school board members said recent school violence across the country influenced their decision to prioritize safety.
"I don't honestly think I could ever forgive myself," said Stacy Hahn, a Hillsborough County school board member. "There's a lot of school violence lately. I feel like every other week there's some type of school shooting happening across our country."
The district said Walton students can immediately transfer to a neighborhood school or magnet/choice school, with transportation provided for some families. District officials are contacting each family to discuss their options.
Walton Academy, which serves kindergarten through 5th grade students, has operated as a performing arts charter school for more than 20 years at its campus on North Florida Avenue near Seminole Heights.
The school will appeal the charter termination.
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