1
Camelot Education Proposal Community Forum Questions
April 6, 2017
The original community member question is in black; the district or Camelot response is in blue.
How long will a child stay with Camelot? Max Time?




Depending on the type of program, there will be varying amounts of time that a student will
participate in Camelot programs.
Transitional School- Students attend until the tribunal assigned time complete.
Therapeutic Day School- Students attend until an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) team
makes the decision that it is time for the student to return to their home school location.
EXCEL Academy- Students attend until they are ready to transition back to their home
school location.
What does a typical day look like for a child that needs Therapeutic Services?

Each student enrolled in the Therapeutic Day School has an individualized schedule based
on identified needs.
Where does the staff come from? Where will their staff come from? MCSD teachers or are they
bringing in other people?

Camelot will transition staff from other locations as well as hire staff from Columbus and
the surrounding area.
Will the home school be trained in the behavior management for the students returning to the
homeschool?

Camelot and district staff will collaborate to provide school outreach as each student
transitions back to the traditional setting to ensure the transfer school is aware of the
behavior modifications that were successful for the student.
Is participation optional? At what point will the program become mandatory?



Transitional School- Participation is mandatory as student placement is through the
district’s Tribunal Process due to a discipline infraction.
Therapeutic Day School- An Individualized Education Program (IEP) team determines if a
student will participate. Students placement in schools does not occur through their IEP.
Instead, the team decides what services the student needs, and then the student attends a
school where the district can provide those specified services.
EXCEL Academy- Participation is optional; students will have to complete an application and
be accepted based on space availability.
What is the dollar amount granted or needed to service each child with an IEP for both MCSD
and Camelot?

Dollar amounts vary based on the services specified in the student’s Individualized
Education Plan (IEP).
2
Camelot Education Proposal Community Forum Questions
April 6, 2017
The original community member question is in black; the district or Camelot response is in blue.
How are average children going to be separated from those with behavior issues? How is
Camelot going to keep children with disabilities safe in a building with children who are acting
out to the point of harming someone?





Students enrolled in each Camelot program transition separately, and there is always an
adult readily accessible. Students are not allowed to circulate throughout the building
without an adult present.
When behaviors escalate, Camelot staff immediately intervene and provide assistance to
modify student behavior through targeted intervention using prescribed standard protocol.
Students in the Therapeutic Day School (TDS) will be served based on individual IEP-driven
needs. The programming and support will be different for students with disabilities with
aggressive behaviors versus the students who may have more intensive needs but not the
extreme behavioral concerns.
There are seventy-five (75) seats in the Therapeutic Day School. MCSD has approximately
4,200 special education students. The TDS will serve just under two (2) percent of the
current special education population. Students that have either extreme aggression or need
intensive medical or functional supports.
Individual students with academic, mild behavioral, social concerns or typical functional
students should not meet the requirements to participate in the TDS model. They receive
services in our other MCSD schools.
What schools are currently implementing the PBIS?


Muscogee County School District is dedicated to implementing PBIS in every school but is in
the beginning stages of this implementation. Each year, approximately ten schools will
begin the process of developing PBIS. It takes at least 3-5 years from the beginning of
implementation for a school to develop a full framework. As of January 2016, Double
Churches Middle School is the only “operational” PBIS School in Muscogee County.
The following MCSD schools are at various stages of building a framework to becoming
"operational":
Arnold
Baker
Brewer
Carver
Davis
Dawson
Dimon
Double Churches
Elementary
Downtown,
Early College
East Columbus
Eddy
Forrest Road
Fox
Georgetown
Kendrick
Key
Lonnie Jackson
Martin Luther
King Jr.
Midland Middle
Richards
Rigdon Road
Rothschild
South Columbus
St. Mary’s Road
Wesley Heights
Woodall
Wynnton
3
Camelot Education Proposal Community Forum Questions
April 6, 2017
The original community member question is in black; the district or Camelot response is in blue.
What are the number of open lawsuits Camelot have at this time?

Camelot does not have any open current lawsuits.
What percentage of students expelled or quit after participating in the program?


Camelot is not permitted to expel our students from their programs. Students will go
through the Tribunal Process, the same as all of the other schools throughout the school
system.
Camelot’s average graduation rate is 95%. (2006 through 2016)
Why is this vote only in the hands of the school board members and not the entire population
of Muscogee County?

Each of the School Board members represents a designated area of the county. They are the
voting members that represent their constituencies and vote on their behalf. Citizens are
encouraged to contact their Board members directly to share their support or concerns for
school district initiatives.
Are these physical pat downs for all students? Is this before or after the student walks through
the metal detectors?

All students will walk through a metal detector or be scanned with a wand when they arrive
on campus each day.
Mr. Bock, where did the assets, if any, go to from Brown schools or CEDU which Brown schools
purchased? Is Camelot another CEDU or Brown school?

Camelot Education, LLC is not associated with the Brown Schools.
Is MCSD aware Mr. Bock was the National Director of Public Education for Brown schools?
Brown schools bankrupted due to settlement payment allegations of abuse and fraud. Has
MCSD investigated/reviewed the correlation between Bock’s past employer Brown schools and
CEDU? CEDU was sold to Brown schools. Please go over the Brown-Camelot relationship.

Yes, there was a complete investigation. Mr. Bock had nothing to do with the settlement, or
the abuse and fraud allegations. Camelot Education, LLC is not associated with the Brown
Schools.
Is the 6.4 million for the first year of Camelot or the entire contract?

It is the annual expense for the Camelot contract.
4
Camelot Education Proposal Community Forum Questions
April 6, 2017
The original community member question is in black; the district or Camelot response is in blue.
What if my kids are a year behind grade level wise and want to be in the right grade but don’t
want to go to a different school from people they are used to?

Participation in the EXCEL Academy is optional. Students will not be required to attend
unless their parent/guardian consents to their participation. There will be an application
process due to the number of limited seats.
What if one of my kids have depression and bipolar disorder and I try to explain certain things
to the teachers and the principal and they still give my child a hard time?

If your student enrolls in a Camelot program, then please reach out to the school
administration who oversees their respective program to convey your concern. Camelot
staff should have the opportunity to address each parent concern before contacting the
school system.
What happens if there is no Camelot? What other options are there? How will students be
services if Camelot is not approved?

We will continue to provide IEP-driven services for all students with disabilities. The IEP
team determines which services each student receives. Students without disabilities will
continue to receive the same services we already provide in the school system.
Unfortunately, we will not be able to provide the additional intensive services that Camelot
is being contracted to provide.
Would Camelot accept/use volunteers to help with instruction? (Ex. Helping teachers provide
individual tutoring within the classroom setting)

Yes, but the volunteer must clear a background check to provide assistance.
A woman by the name of Miriam claims she was kicked out of the Public Education Center
tonight. She says while she was handing out anti-Camelot literature and an officer approached
her saying, “David Lewis has asked me to escort you out.” Did this happen? If so why? Would
you comment on the effort to exclude citizens from this meeting?


A forum participant notified district administration that they felt harassed by the individual
handing out the anti-Camelot literature. We support citizens conveying their opinions about
school district initiatives, but participants at public forums should not be made to feel
uncomfortable by those individuals expressing their opinions while on school board
property.
The meeting was open to the public, and anyone could attend.
5
Camelot Education Proposal Community Forum Questions
April 6, 2017
The original community member question is in black; the district or Camelot response is in blue.
Who/How will Camelot be evaluated?

Camelot has a Quality Management Team that monitors whether or not programs are
meeting intended expected outcomes. The school district administration will also evaluate
Camelot to ensure all programs are meeting student outcomes as expected. A school
district region chief will visit the campus on a regular basis.
We already had the programs that you mentioned, and they were disbanded in 2013. Why
can’t we bring back ASC at a cost saving?

ASC did not provide the behavioral and therapeutic services at the same level as Camelot
provides.
Has MCSD withdrawn from the GNET system?


The school district has notified the State and other RESA districts of its intent to withdraw
from GNETS.
MCSD will serve all of our current students enrolled at Woodall. The services for these
students will be determined based on individual student data as review and determined by
the IEP team.
Is Marshall an approved building for DOE purposes? If not, how will this issue be addressed?

If the Camelot proposal passes, then a letter will be written to the state to reactivate the
Marshall campus.
If we do not do Camelot, how short on teachers will we be next year?

Employees sign contracts for next school year in May. Without Camelot, the school district
will have to replace current special education teachers that do not sign their contracts and
add new teachers for the students that Camelot was going to serve. We anticipate needing
at least six (6) teachers next year, several additional paraprofessionals, and related service
providers.
How is Marshall going to be State approved now when it was not state approved when it was
Woodall?


Woodall has never been on the Marshall campus.
At the time Woodall moved, there were not peers on the Marshall campus, so it was not an
appropriate choice. With the additional programs at Marshall, there will be access to a
variety of peers.
6
Camelot Education Proposal Community Forum Questions
April 6, 2017
The original community member question is in black; the district or Camelot response is in blue.
If GNET students are served at Marshall, how are they segregated as they are now? How is
Camelot lawful in light of segregation laws that our state has already warned about
GNETS/Woodall?


Students in the Therapeutic Day School (K-5) will remain on the JD Davis Elementary
campus, so they will remain in the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) and can be
integrated with other elementary students as specified in their Individualized Education
Plan (IEP).
Students in grades 6-12 will be on the Marshall Learning Center campus, remaining in an
LRE so they can integrate with other secondary students enrolled in the EXCEL Academy as
specified in their IEP. The EXCEL Academy is a “choice” school, not alternative education
which is open to regular and special education students throughout Muscogee County.
Since Camelot is a for-profit company where does their profit come from? Just the contract or
other places?

Camelot reinvests the majority of the contract profit into each school program. Additional
company profits come from investments.
Will there be a principal? Who will be in charge of the campus?

An Executive Director and a principal oversee the Camelot programs.
What can the parent do to help pay for the supplies my child/student is using in school?

Camelot provides all supplies for students enrolled in each program.
Will they participate in district sports?


Students at the Transitional School are not eligible to participate in sports due to placement
in the program through the Tribunal Process.
Students in the other two programs are eligible to participate in district sports at their home
school locations.
Is there a maximum number of students that can be enrolled in each program than the current
numbers?




Transitional School- 250 students
Therapeutic Day School- 75 students
EXCEL Academy- 125 students
We anticipate over time that we will need fewer seats in the Transitional School and more
seats in the EXCEL Academy. The cost per pupil as outlined in the contracts is the same for
each student in these programs, so the seats are interchangeable.
7
Camelot Education Proposal Community Forum Questions
April 6, 2017
The original community member question is in black; the district or Camelot response is in blue.
Will open records request apply to Camelot, the same as the school district?

Yes, the Open Records Request applies per Georgia Law.
Will the school have a library and gym?

Yes, Marshall Learning Center has a library and gym.
Will Marshall continue to be property of the MCSD or is it possible that it will be deeded to
Camelot?

Marshall Learning Center will remain a school board property.