HOUSTON – Because the Texas Education Agency failed to meet its burden to prove its allegations against Michael Feinberg, a co-founder of KIPP charter schools, the State Board for Educator Certification should not impose any sanction against him, according to the State Office of Administrative Hearings.
In February 2018, KIPP, one the largest charter school chains in the country, terminated Feinberg over allegations of sexual abuse of a student more than two decades ago.
As previously reported, Fienberg filed a defamation suit against KIPP last August, asserting the public statements made following his termination were false and that KIPP knew such an allegation would destroy his career in education and be personally devastating to him, his family and friends.
Feinberg co-founded KIPP in 1994. Since then, more than 200 schools have been established across the country.
Because of the allegation, TEA brought a disciplinary action seeking to permanently revoke Feinberg’s educator certificate.
On June 10, SOAH released a proposal for decision, finding that TEA failed to prove the allegation against Fienberg.
“Respondent (Feinberg) emphasizes, and staff has acknowledged, that KIPP schools – and Respondent individually – have long achieved positive outcomes for students and received an array of accolades in both professional and popular arenas,” the proposal states. “There is no indication that Respondent was ever previously a target of a Board disciplinary action.
“Because Staff (for TEA) failed to meet its burden to prove its allegations against Respondent, the Board should not impose any sanction against him.”