The International Academy of Trenton (IAT) was a

SABIS Sabis may refer to: * SABIS, global school network * Battle of the Sabis *The river Sambre The Sambre (; nl, Samber, ) is a river in northern France and in Wallonia, Belgium. It is a left-bank tributary of the Meuse, which it joins in the Wallon ...

charter school A charter school is a school that receives government funding but operates independently of the established state school system in which it is located. It is independent in the sense that it operates according to the basic principle of auto ...

in the city of

Trenton, New Jersey Trenton is the capital city of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat of Mercer County. It was the capital of the United States from November 1 to December 24, 1784. It was the only school in the now defunct International Academy of Trenton School District, which was a separate governing body from

Trenton Public Schools The Trenton Public Schools is a comprehensive community public school district, serving students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade from Trenton, in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. The district is one of 31 former Abbott dist ...

. The school was planned to become a kindergarten through 12th grade school. On January 12, 2018, parents received a letter stating that the

New Jersey Department of Education The New Jersey Department of Education (NJ DOE) administers state and federal aid programs affecting more than 1.4 million public and non-public elementary and secondary school children in the state of New Jersey. The department is headquartered ...

had decided to not renew IAT's charter, citing poor academic performance, causing a closure by the end of the current school year. IAT officially closed on June 30, 2018, the last day of school for students being June 27.

History

The International Academy of Trenton was opened on September 8 2014. Anthony Degatano became the director of the school, with students in grades K-3. The goal was to add one grade every school year, ultimately becoming a K-12 school. The school took

PARCC The Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) is a consortium featuring two states, the District of Columbia, the Department of Defense Educational Activity, and the Bureau of Indian Education, that work to create ...

tests for grades 3 and up in mathematics and English. It took NJASK tests for grade 4 in only science.

Closure

On January 12, 2018, parents received a letter from the school director, Dominique Taylor, stating that, "we have been informed that the

has decided not to renew IAT's charter. If this decision stands, IAT will have no choice but to close at the end of the current school year. The IAT Board is exploring all of its options to seek a reconsideration of this decision. We will continue to be in contact with you over the next few weeks and in order to provide you with up-to-date information related to the future of IAT." The school was not successful with the appeal. Abdur-Rahman, Sulaiman
"Trenton’s $17M International Academy charter school faces potential shutdown"
''

The Trentonian ''The Trentonian'' is a daily newspaper serving Trenton, New Jersey, USA, and the surrounding Mercer County community. The paper in 2020 has a daily circulation of under 8,000 and a Sunday circulation under 7,000. As of August 2020, it was ranke ...

'', January 13, 2018. Accessed January 13, 2018. "A $17 million charter school on Perry Street that promised to offer high-quality education when it opened last September is now at high risk of being shut down. Republican Gov. Chris Christie’s dwindling administration has decided to pull the plug on the International Academy of Trenton (IAT) Charter School, which means the facility will have to close in June if it fails to win an appeal or reconsideration to stay open." On February 14, 2018, the New Jersey Department of Education mailed a letter to IAT parents written by the Office of Project Management Director James Palmer. In the letter, Palmer said that "as a result f the decision to not renew IAT's charter IAT will close as of June 30, 2018." The letter also mentioned that the Department came to the decision to close IAT after "careful review and consideration in accordance with N.J.S.A. 18A:36A-17, N.J.A.C. 6A:11-2.3, and N.J.A.C. 6A:11-2.4. The Department is working with the Executive County Superintendent of Mercer County, as well as administrators from Trenton Public Schools, Ewing Public Schools, and area charter schools, to ensure a smooth transition for each student from IAT to a new school for the 2018-2019 school year." IAT was permanently closed on June 30, 2018.

Campuses

The final campus on Perry Street was formerly the

Trenton Times ''The Times'' is a daily newspaper owned by Advance Publications that serves Trenton and the Mercer County, New Jersey area, with a strong focus on the government of New Jersey. The paper had a daily circulation of 77,405, with Sunday circulati ...

' headquarters. The original building located on Bellevue Ave was an old

elementary school A primary school (in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and South Africa), junior school (in Australia), elementary school or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ed ...

that had been abandoned for many years. There was a year of remodeling before the 2014-2015 school year started. The school relocated to an old high school on Chancery Lane near the

New Jersey State House The New Jersey State House is located in Trenton and is the capitol building for the U.S. state of New Jersey. Built in 1792, it is the third-oldest state house in continuous legislative use in the United States; only the Maryland State Capit ...

. The charter school served for children from

kindergarten Kindergarten is a preschool educational approach based on playing, singing, practical activities such as drawing, and social interaction as part of the transition from home to school. Such institutions were originally made in the late 18th cent ...

to 6th grade in 2017 and 2018 in both

Ewing Ewing may refer to: People * Ewing (surname) * Ewing (given name) Places ;United States * Ewing Township, Boone County, Arkansas * Ewing, Illinois, a village * Ewing Township, Franklin County, Illinois * Ewing, Indiana, an unincorporated communi ...

and Trenton, New Jersey.

Bellevue Avenue Campus (2014-2015 and 2016-2017)

The school's Bellevue campus was home to the first year of the International Academy of Trenton. It was formerly a school abandoned for many years. The school was not used in the 2015-2016 school year, because the school was using the St. Mary's school on North Chancery Lane. In the 2016-2017 school year, the school used both the campus at Bellevue Ave and Chancery Lane. The Bellevue Ave campus housed grades K-2. In late February 2017, teachers and students left the campus for the new building at Perry Street. Construction started on the new school building where the Trenton Times Newspaper Headquarters was located on Perry Street at 500 Perry Street Trenton, NJ. The school moved in on February 21, 2017. Local charter school STEMCivics eventually used the building beginning in September 2018 for its middle school, PURPLEfect Parc.

North Chancery Lane Campus (2015-2017)

International Academy of Trenton moved into the former St. Mary's school in 2015. The school was an old high school, part of the St. Mary's Cathedral next door. The building took some remodeling to be ready for the 2015-2016 school year. During that school year, the building was home to all of the grades at the time, K-4. It was used again during the 2016-2017 school year. In February 2017, the school moved to the new Perry Street campus.

Perry Street Campus (2017-2018)

The International Academy of Trenton Charter School's 6 acre Perry Street Campus, formerly the Trenton Times headquarters, was finished in early 2017. This was the first phase of the plan for the building. All of the teachers and students moved from the Chancery Lane campus (grades 3-5) and from the Bellevue Ave campus (grades K-2) to the Perry Street campus on February 21, 2017. An inauguration for the staff of the school was held February 22, 2017 while students stayed home. Trenton Mayor Eric Jackson went to the inauguration of the school. The school opened its Perry Street doors to students on February 23, 2017. The building took almost two years to remodel. Walls and floors were removed, graffiti was removed, and new staircases were added. The work was completed by Hollister Construction Services. The gymnasium was completed on April 3, 2017. The second phase of the plan for the building includes the renovation of some sections of the basement, which never began due to its closure in June 2018. The school's name on the right side of the building was added in mid April 2017. IAT closed on June 30, 2018. The Perry Street building will become the 9th Grade Academy, a part of

Trenton Central High School Trenton Central High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school that serves students in ninth through twelfth grades from Trenton, in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States, operating as part of the Trenton Public Schools. As ...

. Entrance Lobby of IAT Charter.jpg, The entrance lobby of the school on Perry Street. IATCS Perry Street.jpg, The right side of the building on Perry Street. the school name was added in April 2017. Side of IATCS .jpg, The left side of the building on Perry Street. Side of IATCS building view from parking lot.jpg, View of the Perry Street campus from the parking lot.

References

{{Reflist Schools in New Jersey Charter schools in New Jersey Trenton, New Jersey Educational institutions established in 2014 2014 establishments in New Jersey Educational institutions disestablished in 2018 2018 disestablishments in New Jersey