Croft School plans to file for bankruptcy this week

The Croft School plans to file for bankruptcy this week, according to an email to families from its board, leaving parents fearing their kids may not be able to complete the academic year.

The decision follows several failed attempts to sell two of the school's three campuses, according to the June 1 email. The private, for-profit school did not secure a buyer for its Providence and Jamaica Plain locations.

The early childhood and elementary school system fell into turmoil in March after its board discovered CEO and Founder Scott Given allegedly hid $13 million of debt, misrepresented its financial health and solicited money from families.

Parents of the South End campus raised money to open a new school at the same location this fall, according to the email. A spokesperson for parents at that school said that campus' students will end the school year on June 12, as planned.

Amid the uncertainty at the other campuses, some parents are nervous about what their students may lose out on in these final days of school.

Rebecca Ullman, a parent of two students at the Jamaica Plain location, said the remaining time is meaningful. Kids will face off for field day. Teachers will celebrate students transitioning to the next grade with "stepping up” ceremonies. And the community as a whole will say goodbye before the school shuts its doors for good.

“It's a big thing for a kid,” she said. “It's important that we all go through this together, because the alternative is that they wake up one day and Croft just doesn't exist anymore."

In its email, the board said the timing of the school's bankruptcy filing was "necessary" as its lawyers warned the school's owners could forfeit the right to recover "significant" funds taken from its bank accounts during the alleged fraud. Oxford Street Education LLC is the company that owns and operates Croft.

“There is nothing we can say at this point that can alleviate your frustration and even anger,” board members wrote in the email. “We truly hoped that all three Croft locations could be saved.”

Board members said despite this, they’re working to keep the school operating through the last day of school.

Teachers will be paid the wages they earned through June 12, said a spokesperson for the Croft board. However, they'll be paid out of funds that were raised by parents.

The non-profit parent group Friends of JP Education said in an email to the school community that the news of bankruptcy does not necessarily mean that school will close before the end of the academic year. A trustee will be in charge of that decision, according to the email.

But a decision won’t be made until a trustee is appointed.

Parents have been navigating this uncertainty since they learned of the school's insolvency back in March, Ullman said.

“It's all just such a waste,” she said. “Croft as a school, as an educational experience, is a brilliant success.”

It's hard to watch it unravel, she added.