Impact Charter School's founder, principal and others have been named in a search warrant alleging possible financial crimes, fraud and theft at the school in Baker.
Chakesha Scott, the school's CEO and founder, is the first name listed in the search warrant, which was executed at the school by the state's Legislative Auditor on May 13 and resulted in the seizure of many of Scott's financial documents and devices.
Also named in the warrant is Eric Scott, the school's principal and Chakesha Scott's husband, whose computer was taken by investigators along with other items like flash drives, financial statements and tax documents for the CEO's PayPal account.
The warrant, signed by Judge Eboni Johnson-Rose, calls for the seizure of items producing evidence of theft, injuring public records, falsifying public records and illegal transmission of funds.
Five names are listed in the warrant. In addition to the CEO and principal, personal, business and financial records of Courtney Scott — the daughter of Chakesha and Eric Scott — were allowed to be searched and seized. Marilyn Webb and Philana Square, who are also related to Chakesha and Eric Scott, are named in the warrant as well.
The warrant did not state the roles of Courtney Scott, Webb or Square at Impact Charter School.
Chakesha Scott is listed as the principal officer of Education Explosions Inc., the nonprofit organization behind Impact Charter School.Â
According to the nonprofit's most recently available tax filings, Chakesha Scott reported a salary of $211,747 in 2023, while her husband took home nearly $152,000.Â
School officials did not respond to request for comment Tuesday other than to point to a letter sent from the school CEO to Impact Charter School families on the day of the search and seizure. In the letter, Chakesha Scott calls the search a "surprise" and said the school could not comment on the Legislative Auditor's actions.Â
"We want to assure our community that we cooperated fully with the authorities and provided all requested documents promptly," she wrote, adding the school has "consistently passed all audits" throughout its 10-year existence.Â
Still, at least 75 pieces of property were listed as seized during the search, according to documents filed with the East Baton Rouge Clerk of the Court's office.
In the nonprofit's most , the school reported an annual budget of $7.6 million. More than $7.3 million of the school's revenue was made up of government funds, according to the same filing.
If the search warrant and seizure of items result in criminal charges, it is unclear if they would be filed at the parish, state or federal level.
