(ONN) -- The Ohio Supreme Court says the state acted within its authority when it used student participation data, not just enrollment, to determine whether the online charter school ECOT should repay 60-million dollars from one school year.
The 4-2 ruling comes as the now-closed Electronic Classroom of Tomorrow remains of interest to prosecutors reviewing audit findings and politicians raising accountability issues in a midterm election year.
ECOT argued the Ohio Department of Education overstepped its authority when relying on student learning time data. The cash-strapped e-school was among the nation's largest, with about 12,000 students, when it shut down in January after the state started recouping money.
A former employee alleges ECOT intentionally inflated attendance data. ECOT's former spokesman dismissed those allegations.