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No Sanction for KIPP Co-Founder
The board voted to accept the recommendations by two administrative law judges (ALJ) to not revoke — or othe
MichaelFeinberg
rwise sanction — the educator certificates of fired KIPP Charter Schools co-founder Michael Feinberg over allegations of sexual misconduct from the late 1990s involving a female elementary student who is now an adult.
  • Note: The SBEC webcast of board's discussion and vote starts at 4 hour/28 minute mark.
The board voted to accept the findings by the ALJs that cited inconsistencies in the testimony about what the alleged victim remembered, questions concerning evidence about what would have been the circumstances surrounding the incident, testimony by others, and the difficulty of proving the truth of something that was alleged to have happened so long ago.

TEA staff also announced that the agency had changed its initial recommendation for revoking Feinberg’s certification to no sanction in accordance with the ALJs’ recommendations.

Although voting for no sanction, SBEC board member Tommy Coleman — a Polk County assistant criminal district attorney — said this case presented a difficult legal standard that had to be met, and he didn’t want the outcome of the case to have a “chilling effect” on other sexual assault victims from coming forward, no matter how long ago. The vote was 3-1 for no sanction, with four board members either abstaining or not voting.

KIPP fired Feinberg in early 2018 over allegations (vigorously denied by him) that he had previously sexually assaulted a student when she was a minor and had sexually assaulted two adult former KIPP students.

The allegations concerning the two adult former KIPP students were reportedly not under the SBEC’s authority.