OHIO — A state report released Friday recommends that the Columbus-based school Bishop Sycamore, which first raised questions pertaining to its authenticity during a nationally televised football game on ESPN in August, should no longer operate as a non-chartered, non-tax-supported school. Officials are also calling for legal action. 

What You Need To Know

  • Bishop Sycamore's legitimacy was called into question when the game on ESPN against IMG Academy of Florida revealed the Ohio prep football team wasn’t the top-tier talent it purported to be, losing 58-0

  • The state found the school failed to meet minimum requirements to be a non-charted, non-tax supported school

  • The Ohio Department of Education and Gov. Mike DeWine are asking Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost to investigate further

Bishop Sycamore's legitimacy was called into question when the game on ESPN against IMG Academy of Florida revealed the Ohio prep football team didn't have the top-tier talent it purported to have, losing 58-0.

Based on documents received from the Ohio Department of Education in September, Bishop Sycamore is listed as a non-chartered, non-tax-supported school, serving students in grades 9-12. But while the annual report for Ohio Operating Standards indicated that it is “an innovative academically-accredited school” that partners with Advancing Sciences Worldwide (ASW) and Innovation Science and Education, there were many holes that left more questions than answers.

The annual report noted the school had met all requirements and had a fire inspector sign off on its location, but it was still unclear where the school is located. The location listed for the school via documents submitted to ODE was not accurate as it turned out to be a sports complex. Other addresses found for the school online turned out to be the Franklin University library and Youth Build Columbus, which is a dropout recovery, vocational school.

In addition, the school's website, which had minimal information initially, was no longer operational. 

The investigation's findings released Friday didn’t find evidence the school met the minimum standards to be labeled as a non-chartered, non-tax supported school.

The Ohio Department of Education launched the investigation after Gov. Mike DeWine called for one in September. The investigation looked into the factors needed to be a non-chartered, non-tax supported school, which includes religious beliefs, requisite hours open for instruction, teacher and administrator qualifications, courses offered and more. 

Officials failed to identify with specificity the religious beliefs of the school, confirmed the school wasn't open for instruction for the requisite hours for the 2020-21 school year, found that enrollment wasn't reported to the treasurer and could not verify whether teachers and administrators met requirements.

Ohio law doesn't give the Ohio Department of Education the authority to sanction or penalize schools for failing to meet minimum operation standards, which is why officials are recommending an investigation from Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, which also called for in a statement Friday. 

“This report confirms numerous disturbing allegations regarding Bishop Sycamore. There is no evidence that the ‘school’ enrolled students this year, had a physical location for classes to meet, employed teachers, nor offered any academic program meeting minimum standards," DeWine said. “Ohio families should be able to count on the fact that our schools educate students and don’t exist in name only as a vehicle to play high school sports. When an Ohio student goes to school, they deserve a quality education to prepare them for success in the future. I am today asking Attorney General Yost and other offices with jurisdiction to determine whether the alleged deception by Bishop Sycamore violated any civil or criminal laws. I intend to work with the Department of Education and legislative leaders to implement the recommendations contained in this thorough report.”

Other recommendations from the Ohio Department of Education include:

  • Not listing the school as a non-chartered, non-tax supported school for the 2021-22 school year
  • Requiring non-chartered, non-tax supported schools to submit a copy of their annual report to the Ohio Department of Education by July 31 instead of September 30
  • Amending the Revised Code to allow the Ohio Department of Education to monitor and enforce non-chartered, non-tax supported schools' compliance with minimum standards
  • Allowing the department to remove schools if they fail to meet minimum requirements
  • Clarifying that a non-chartered, non-tax supported school is prohibited from operating unless it is properly registered
  • If the schools are removed from the list and register in the future again, officials are asking for the department to be able to verify the school's ability to comply with minimum standards

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