Feb 20, 2025 By Jon Andreassi 3 min read

Peters Township Board of School Directors voted Tuesday to reject an application for a charter school.

The board voted 8-1 to turn down the application from Dogwood Charter School, which has been seeking a new home in multiple school districts in the region. Alexandra Binsse was the dissenting vote.

Officials with Peters Township School District administration highlighted what they felt were multiple deficiencies in the application, including with the curriculum and falling short of federal, state and local regulations.

“A lot of these deficits are just a function of this being a recycled application that is about four years old. There have been changes in requirements in education. There is a lot we did not list,” said Dr. Jeannine French, the district’s superintendent.

A particular sticking point for administration and school board members was that Dogwood has not secured a building for the school, and its ability to bring a building up to code for an educational facility.

This was an issue that Dogwood Charter School ran into in Bethel Park, which was forced to close two months into the school year due to zoning issues with its facility on Madison Avenue.

In addition to Peters, Dogwood is continuing to explore options in Bethel Park, as well as school districts in Baldwin, West Jefferson Hills, and Ringgold.

Beth Opat, founder of Dogwood Charter School, spoke at the special hearing Tuesday evening to attempt to address the district’s concerns.

“It is interesting how we always try to find holes in different things. Yes, there may be holes in different aspects, but also we are working, just as you are, to fill those deficits and to make that progress,” Opat said. “Just as you refine your curriculum every year, we ask that you give us the same grace to do the same so we have a curriculum that we feel is suitable … As I said, we are held to standards as well.”

She added that some issues the district had, such as staffing, are problems that could not be resolved unless the application were approved.

Dogwood Charter School bases its education style from the philosophies of English educator Charlotte Mason. Opat explained at a December meeting that many of its students struggle in traditional education environments, and have neurodivergent conditions such as autism.

With the rejection, Dogwood Charter School has the option of either refiling the application or appealing the board’s decision in court. Opat indicated to the board she would prefer the route of refiling and working to address the district’s concerns.