Judge Pauses Mississippi Charter Revocation

A Hinds County judge temporarily blocked the state from revoking SR1 College Preparatory and STEM Academy's charter.

Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in Secondary Education

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A Hinds County judge temporarily blocked Mississippi from revoking the charter of SR1 College Preparatory and STEM Academy, pending a ruling on the state board's October vote. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Hinds County Chancery Court Judge Tametrice Hodges-Linzey granted SR1 College Preparatory and STEM Academy a temporary restraining order against the Mississippi Charter School Authorizer Board. The order pauses efforts to revoke the school's charter for at least a month after the board voted October 26 to revoke it and mandate closure by year's end.

Why it matters

The authorizer board's vote marks the first time Mississippi has revoked a school's charter since 2013, making the court's ruling a key test of the state's charter oversight process. The judge still must decide whether to overturn the board's decision, which will determine whether students at the Canton school continue to attend it.

The Mississippi Charter School Authorizer Board voted October 26 to revoke the charter, and the school requested the restraining order four days later on October 30. The temporary order pauses revocation for at least one month, while the board had mandated closure by the end of the year.

The players

Mississippi Charter School Authorizer Board

The state body that oversees charter schools in Mississippi and holds authority to approve, monitor, and revoke their charters.

Tametrice Hodges-Linzey

A Hinds County Chancery Court judge who granted the temporary restraining order pausing the charter revocation.

The details

The authorizer board held a hearing in May to determine whether to revoke the charter, and the school's latest audit was released October 7. On October 28, the board's executive director visited the school during an internal staff meeting without an invitation, and school officials did not provide required parent and staff contact information by the agency's deadline, according to Karmacharya.

Timeline

  1. May 2026: Authorizer board held a hearing on whether to revoke the charter.

  2. October 7, 2026: The school's latest audit was released.

  3. October 26, 2026: The authorizer board voted to revoke the charter.

  4. October 28, 2026: The authorizer director visited the school uninvited.

  5. October 30, 2026: The school requested the temporary restraining order.

Seasonal Patterns

This is the first state revocation of a Mississippi charter school since 2013, when the state last removed a school's charter. The court's temporary order now places the state's charter oversight process under judicial review.

Parents and students at SR1 College Preparatory and STEM Academy will continue attending classes while the restraining order remains in effect. The school's future operation depends on whether the court overturns the board's year-end closure mandate.

The takeaway

Charter school decisions can be paused by courts, leaving families in limbo while legal challenges proceed. Parents of students at affected schools should follow local court and board notices closely.

What happens next

The judge will need to rule on whether to overturn the authorizer board's decision after the temporary restraining order expires.

Further reading

For more on how states oversee schools like this one, see Secondary Education coverage across Mississippi.

Source note: This article includes information reported by Mississippi Today.

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