School Allegedly Hired Pupils Out for Labor
A charter school in Pensacola has been charged with fraud for allegedly hiring out students to work on road projects during class time and taking a share of their wages.
Students spent only an hour a day in school but were given classroom credit for road work the rest of each day, according to court records. State law requires students to spend 25 hours a week in class.
Charter schools are privately run but get public money.
The state Transportation Department paid the school $16.25 per hour for each student’s labor. The school then allegedly paid the students $10 an hour and pocketed profits of about $40,000 a year, the prosecutor said.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
