State House Minority Leader Emily Virgin responds to Epic Charter investigation
Published: July 17th, 2019
OKLAHOMA CITY – Minority Leader Emily Virgin (D-Norman) released the following statement in response to the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation launching an investigation of Epic Charter Schools amid allegations school leaders embezzled millions of taxpayer dollars.
“I am very concerned about the report that Epic Charter Schools has been paying students and their families to enroll so that the school can profit from taxpayer money,” said Minority Leader Emily Virgin. “I am glad to see that the OSBI is taking this matter seriously. If the OSBI shows that these individuals did indeed defraud Oklahoma taxpayers, I would hope that Attorney General Mike Hunter would see past their wealth and their campaign donations and hold them accountable.
“I hope that my colleagues in the House will take these allegations seriously as well. If we have a school that is defrauding the state to this magnitude, at a minimum, it shows a systematic flaw exists in the regulation of online and charter schools in our state. If the OSBI shows this to be true, the House must act to ensure that public funds are safeguarded today and in the future.”