WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah — A public charter school with ties to the polygamous Kingston group is looking into the possibility of becoming a private school.
Vanguard Academy in West Valley City held a meeting on Monday to discuss options in anticipation of its entire board being fired in September.
FOX 13 News first exposed the school's social and financial ties to the Kingston group in 2020, revealing how the school appointed family members to authorize the spending of millions of taxpayer dollars on Kingston-affiliated businesses.
Vanguard Academy timeline pic.twitter.com/KYiWpKUpeG
— Adam Herbets (@AdamHerbets) August 24, 2022
Last week, the State Charter School Board voted to place Vanguard Academy on probation. The SCSB also voted to remove and replace all nine of the school's board members, appoint an interim director, and appoint a new finance officer.
In response, an attorney for the school filed a motion in state court for a temporary restraining order.
"If the court permits the SCSB to complete the action they took last week, Vanguard Academy will almost certainly evaporate," attorney David Mortensen wrote.
~45 of those 61 parents share a last name with someone who has received money from Vanguard Academy as an employee or vendor.
— Adam Herbets (@AdamHerbets) August 31, 2022
That's more than 73%.
As one board member admitted in a public meeting: "I think most of the parents are either a board member or a staff member."
Last week, Vanguard Academy created an "Executive Resolution Committee" to discuss next steps, including potential legal action.
According to the school, there is a "high percentage" of parents threatening to withdraw their students from the school due to "cultural discrimination."
"They do not feel safe anymore," said committee member Joy Palmer. "The students and the teachers in this school do not feel that safety anymore."
One board member noted that the majority of parents already work at the school as a teacher, administrator, or board member.
The SCSB did not vote to remove any teachers or staff, just board members.
"The Executive Resolution Committee has the authority to relinquish our charter in a way that allows the school to continue to operate," explained Vanguard Academy treasurer Grace Mitchell.
"We'd be a private school at that point? Is that what that means?" someone asked.
"Possibly," responded Vanguard Academy board chair Kent Johnson.
Vanguard Academy stated it hopes to continue negotiating with the SCSB.
For the last year and a half, the school has been discussing with the SCSB its attempts to resolve "deficiencies." All the while, millions of taxpayer dollars continued rolling in and being spent on Kingston-affiliated businesses.
The SCSB also cited the school's inability and perceived unwillingness to follow Utah's public meetings laws.
Royce Van Tassel is a lobbyist and executive director of the Utah Association of Public Charter Schools who has been advocating for the school.
"The relationship with the polygamous community is unusual," he said. "There's some ticky-tack fouls, and we need to do better at that. Everybody does."
Van Tassel insisted the school's polygamous ties and spending on Kingston businesses are not a conflict of interest.
"Polygamy's roots do come out of religion, sure," he said. "They're not teaching religion, and the fact that virtually every public school in Utah has a large contingency of LDS folks doesn't make that inappropriate. The fact that people come here and feel comfortable even though they are polygamists is a sign that they're doing something right."
This is a developing story. Stay with FOX 13 News for updates.