Mothers whistled up a storm at charter

Megan Snyder Galo reread her long e-mail to the Philadelphia School District's charter school office.

"I am the parent of a child attending the Philadelphia Academy Charter School. There are things that are going on at the school which are alarming . . ."

Galo, who had gone over each word with fellow parent Lisa George, took a deep breath and hit the send key.

That simple act last November triggered a chain of events that resulted in the overhaul of Philadelphia Academy's operations and a widening federal criminal probe that has ensnared at least three charter schools.

"Never in my wildest dreams," said Galo, referring to the year's developments. An internal probe concluded that former chief executive Kevin M. O'Shea and founder Brien N. Gardiner may have misused school funds for personal gain. Both men were fired in May from the Northeast charter, which has 1,200 students in kindergarten through 12th grade.

But the parents' efforts came with a price.

"Lisa and I have spent the last six months trying to figure out why there is the perception that we're the bad guys," Galo said.

In many ways, Galo and George, both 44, are unlikely whistle-blowers. They were drawn to Philadelphia Academy by Gardiner's dream of a charter school where special-needs children would be educated in a safe place alongside other students and where parents would have a voice.

The women spent the summer of 1999 setting up classrooms with other parents before the new charter school opened at 11000 Roosevelt Blvd. that September.

Galo, the office manager of an orthopedics practice, led the parents' advisory group, but the more members asked questions about how the board was running the school, the more they felt pressure to remain quiet, she said. Galo and other members resigned in the fall of 2001, and the group withered away.

They heard from other parents who tried to ask questions at board meetings and were ridiculed and shouted at. George, who works as a medical secretary, experienced it herself in the spring of 2007 when she asked the board to improve communication with parents.

The women were even told they could take their children out of the school if they weren't happy. Others have reported similar treatment.

Galo and George each have a child with learning difficulties, and as time passed, they became increasingly worried about their progress.