After abruptly booting out the principal of Anne Arundel's lone charter school (see my story today), school officials held a meeting last night to allay concerns of parents who were rattled by the sudden decision. The officials told Chesapeake Science Point Charter School parents the move was temporary, pending an investigation into a complaint filed Dec. 21. But they said no more than that. What was the complaint about? Did it involve students? Teachers? How long will the investigation take?

"They told us hopefully it won't be long, but we can't hang on hopes, we need fact," said Al Aksakalli, one of the founders of Chesapeake Science Point.

The lack of detail, Aksakalli said, is dividing the parents in two camps. One group is staunchly supportive and feels suspicious that the reassignment of Principal Fatih Kandil is just another way the district is trying to derail the school's progress. Without Kandil as their spokesman, the school will have a tough time lobbying for itself before the school board Jan. 23, when the board is expected to consider the findings of its latest audit of the school and decide whether to keep the school on probation. The school has wrestled with two years of critical audits and shaky finances but has begun to make marked progress in the last six months.  

The other camp of parents that's emerging in the light of this latest controversy, Aksakalli said, is a group so worried about the implications of this scandal that they're wondering whether it's safe to keep their children in the school. With few details of Kandil's behavior available, they're imagining the worst, Aksakalli said.

"It's like if your doctor tells you the results of a test are abnormal, you start thinking the worst, 'oh my God, do I have cancer?'" Aksakalli said. "If no one gives you information, then, your mind kind of takes off."

I'm keeping close tabs on the story as it develops -- including the progress of the investigation. But I'd love to get your thoughts on what's happening here. Do you have children in charter schools? Do you think this latest controversy illustrates the pitfalls of running a charter school -- or does it reveal the hostility of a public school district trying to make it hard for a charter school to survive?