FORT PIERCE, Fla. — Parents and teachers at a private school in Fort Pierce say they were “blindsided” after learning the school had abruptly closed its doors over the weekend, with some claiming they never received a notification.
Creative Learning Lab Academy shut down its Fort Pierce campus amid growing financial troubles.
WATCH BELOW: WPTV's Ange Toussaint speaks with parents impacted by the school's closure
WPTV first reported on the school’s financial issues after a teacher said they had not been paid in weeks.
Parents who showed up on Monday said they were told the school closed because of mounting financial problems.
In a letter sent to families over the weekend, the school’s owners wrote that they had “exhausted all financial resources” and could not continue to go deeper into debt.
“We have given it our best effort and fought hard to remain open for you, but at this time we do not see how we can keep our doors open,” the statement read.
But just hours after the closure was announced, owner Christopher Madison told WPTV’s Joel Lopez that the school planned to reopen on Tuesday, adding to the confusion among parents.
Samantha Dawson, whose daughter is enrolled in Pre-K at the school, said she never received notice of the closure or of plans to reopen.
“I got nothing. We didn’t get a letter, they didn’t have a sign on the door, these people just closed overnight, to be honest, I can’t believe. I’m floored,” Dawson said.
Dawson said her daughter’s tuition is covered by the Step Up for Students program, and that the school already collected more than $2,000 in tuition. She also said she is out of money spent on uniforms and school supplies.
“To be abruptly closing like this, as a single mom, I work two jobs just to provide for my daughter. Now she has to go through this process all over again,” Dawson said.
Another parent, who did not want to be identified, showed us an email confirming her daughter's tuition was paid to the school by Step Up for Students. She said she spent hundreds of dollars on uniforms and school supplies for her three children to attend the school. She withdrew them two weeks ago over curriculum concerns, but said she is still worried about getting a refund.
“I work hard to get money to purchase her school clothes. I had to work double shifts, and now I just have to figure out how to get new school clothes and pay the bills as well,” she said.
A previous WPTV investigation uncovered that the school was struggling financially. School owners attributed the financial issues to funding delays from Step Up for Students-a Jacksonville-based nonprofit. However, the organization said it was not aware of those delays.
In a statement to WPTV, Step Up for Students confirmed that funding was made to Creative Learning Lab for all students who were eligible for funding by state-mandated deadlines.
A spokesperson also confirmed, "any remaining students will receive funds in September and November or later, depending on their dates of application and enrollment as well as confirmation from the DOE of their eligibility."
Step Up for Students said it notifies every school of funding timelines so they know when to expect payment if a student enrolls after a certain date.
