A Nashville charter school network is getting sued over a series of mass text messages that the charter organization allegedly sent to parents in recent months to promote enrollment at their schools.
Irika Skeete, a Metro school parent from Goodlettsville, is the lead plaintiff of a class-action lawsuit filed in federal court Friday against RePublic Schools Nashville on behalf of all individuals who received what the suit calls “spam” text messages.
The suit, which seeks an injunction to halt the recruitment practice, contends that RePublic Schools Nashville violated the federal Telephone Consumer Protection Act by allegedly sending messages through a commercial auto-dialing service without the consent of recipients. It claims parents received the first set of mass text messages on phones on Nov. 16, and that three additional installments were made through Jan. 12.
One text message allegedly read: “4th-grade parents, your child is eligible to attend Nashville Academy of Computer Science next year. Please call us at 615-873-0484 to tour our facility!”
Another allegedly read: “Contacting you about enrolling your child with RePublic Charter Schools. Fill out an app at http://bit.ly/1|Maumi or call 615-874-0484 to secure their spot!”
In response to the suit, Abigail Rockey, regional director of RePublic Schools Nashville — a charter organization that oversees four schools in Davidson County — said the charter network has not been served with a complaint, but that they are confident they are in full compliance with the law. (continue reading at Tennessean)