Arlington Country Day may have been struggling financially before closure

Arlington Country Day School may have been struggling financially ahead of the Jacksonville private school's abrupt closure.

Action News Jax obtained documents in several lawsuits filed last year that accuse the school of owing tens of thousands of dollars.

Court documents say the school owes one man more than $34,000 for cafeteria upgrades.

In another case, documents say the school owes more than $40,000 for new technology in the classroom.

In yet another case, the parent of one international student paid the school more than $59,000 in tuition.

The complaint says after the student’s visa was denied, ACD never paid back the money.

Nicole Smithie had no idea the school would close since it had just accepted her money for a field trip her third-grade son would be attending.

“They took that on Friday, knowing that apparently they were closing the doors on Friday afternoon,” she said.

A Florida Department of Education report revealed Arlington Country Day failed to provide documentation about a teacher and more than a dozen students after a warning from FDOE in the fall of 2017.

A week later, parents were notified about the closure via an email, leaving the families of 250 students scrambling to find new schools.

The school may be closed but Action News Jax saw ACD’s basketball team loading up a car with equipment and snacks Monday night before piling into a bus and driving away from the school.

Coaches would not tell us what they were doing or whether the team was continuing to practice or play games.

Our calls to headmaster Deborah Condit have not been returned.

The owner of the property where the school is located tells Action News Jax he would be surprised to hear of any financial troubles.

He said the school always paid rent on time.

Cox Media Group