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Prince George’s first three charter schools will open next month

Tuesday, July 18, 2006

County and school system inspectors have approved three charter schools, and they will open the first day of school Aug. 21.

The charter schools are the first of their kind in Prince George’s as the county joins the movement to give parents a greater choice in the kind of education available to their children.

Potomac Public Charter School will open in Fort Washington; Turning Point Academy will open in Lanham and EXCEL Academy will open in Beltsville.

Potomac and EXCEL will teach kindergarten through fifth grade, while Turning Point will serve kindergarten through third grade.

‘‘Charter schools have the potential to offer students another quality educational experience and we are excited to present these options for the upcoming year,” said Schools CEO John Deasy. ‘‘We look forward to outstanding results for charter schools as we work to rapidly increase the achievement of every child.”

The three charter schools will offer programs aligned with the state’s voluntary curriculum. They also will have to meet the accountability standards of the federal No Child Left Behind Act.