Arlington Country Day School closes after failing to provide documentation

A Jacksonville private school shut down after it failed to provide documentation proving one of its teachers had a valid educator's certificate, documents reveal.

Arlington Country Day School, a kindergarten through 12th grade school that served the Jacksonville community for more than 60 years, abruptly closed Friday.

Parents were notified about the closure via an email Saturday morning, leaving the families of 250 students scrambling to find new schools.

MORE: Arlington Country Day may have been struggling financially before closure

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

The FDOE report says ACDS was issued a notice of noncompliance on Nov. 15 after a site visit revealed a teacher's educator's license was expired and student health and personal records were missing.

The report says ACDS was given 30 days to provide documentation on the teacher and dozens of students.

The school failed to provide student health examination documentation for 22 students and failed to provide scoliosis screenings for 12 students, the report says.

ACDS also failed to provide records including birth certificates and social security cards for 16 students, the document says.

FDOE suspended the school's eligibility for three scholarship programs, John M. McKay Scholarships for Students with Disabilities, the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship Program and the Gardiner Scholarship Program, on Jan. 19.

Parents tell Action News Jax that many students attended the school with funds from the scholarships.

An FDOE spokesperson said the department does not have authority to close a private school and that any questions about the reason for closing would need to be directed to the school’s leadership.

Action News Jax has called and emailed school Principal Deborah Condit several times since Friday night, when parents began hearing about the closure.

Our calls and emails have gone unanswered.

Full statement from an FDOE spokesperson:

"Our top priority is working with parents to ensure a seamless transition to another participating private school or to a public school. The choice is entirely up to the students and their families, and we will support them as they determine the best steps forward. 
 
Regarding the closure, we were made aware of the closure Friday evening, once we began receiving inquiries from members of the media. The Florida Department of Education (FDOE) did taken action against the school on 1/19/2018, the details of which are outlined in the attached administrative complaint. It is important to note, though, that FDOE does not have authority to close a private school. Therefore, any questions regarding the reason for closing would need to be directed to the school's leadership."

Cox Media Group