PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A Philadelphia charter school and its former CEO have agreed to pay nearly $4 million to settle claims that they rigged the school’s admissions lottery against Black applicants.
The agreement resolves Civil Rights claims against the Franklin Towne Charter High School and former CEO Joseph Venditti. The Justice Department alleged that in January 2023, Franklin Towne manipulated its admissions lottery to keep out applicants from predominantly Black ZIP codes.
Under the agreement announced Friday by United States Attorney David Metcalf, the school will pay $3.6 million, and Venditti will pay $275,000…