KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A Missouri state commission schedules a hearing to discuss the possibility of revoking a Kansas City school’s charter.

The Missouri Charter Public School Commission put Genesis School on notice last month.

The commission claims academic performance at the Genesis School has been worse than the performance at schools in the Kansas City, Missouri, Public School District three out of the last four years.

Leaders at Genesis say academic results at the charter school have been showing growth and improvement since 2020, and requested a formal hearing with the commission.

The revocation hearing is scheduled for Jan. 30. from 5:30-7:30 p.m. It will be held at the Lucille H. Bluford Library Branch.

The commission says Genesis is allowed to appeal any decision made with the Missouri State Board of Education, which would then decide if the charter should be revoked.

“I can say for the 220 kids we are responsible for, I’m very proud of the work we did to meet their needs during COVID, primarily academic needs, but also social and emotional needs, family needs, things that they needed during a very critical time,” Kevin Foster, executive director of Genesis School, said last week.

Foster says kids are improving despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic while many other schools across the nation have had difficulty returning to pre-pandemic learning levels.

Genesis says its teachers asked the school to appeal the decision to revoke its charter in a hearing expected to take place next week.

“This school seems to take in a lot of children who are not wanted in other schools and that is a big reason why I love this school,” Rachal Young, kindergarten teacher, said. “Because we take in children no matter where they are academically or behaviorally. And I watch those children learn to love and grow in ways they didn’t know they could.”

Parents of about 220 children choose to send their kids to Genesis, which has a nearly 50-year history in the community.

If revoked, Genesis would not be able to operate without a sponsor for its charter.