School Allegedly Hired Pupils Out for Labor
- Share via
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.
More to Read
Sign up for Essential California
The most important California stories and recommendations in your inbox every morning.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.