The Oklahoma Attorney General stated a web-based vendor is being wrongfully blamed for thousands and thousands of misused taxpayer cash.
That is why Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond stated he’s dropping the lawsuit in opposition to ClassWallet.
Federal investigators are nonetheless determining what occurred to cash meant for households’ schooling.
Last yr, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Inspector General launched a report displaying these funds have been spent on the whole lot from dwelling home equipment to Christmas bushes.
“It is one of those subject matters that we’ve investigated over the last three weeks,” Drummond stated. “The lawsuit really lacks merit to proceed to waste further state resources.”
Last yr, federal investigators discovered questionable expenditures and processes surrounding $31 million in Governor’s Education Emergency Relief funds.
“We have $31 million we have to account for back to the federal government,” Drummond stated.
Drummond’s predecessor John O’Connor filed the go well with final August, blaming the net vendor ClassWallet for the misused reduction funds.
Oklahoma contracted with the Florida-based software program firm to permit households to buy schooling provides with federal reduction cash.
“Those dollars could have been used to help the intended recipients,” Drummond stated.
Last May, an Oklahoma Watch and The Fontier investigation discovered Oklahoma awarded ClassWallet with a “no bid state contract to distribute $8 million to families with little government oversight.”
Their investigation discovered some households used the “Governor’s Emergency Education Relief Funds to buy Christmas trees and gaming consoles,” amongst a number of different issues not thought of to be academic.
“Classwallet is simply a portal,” Drummond stated.
A ClassWallet spokesperson stated “ClassWallet is gratified that Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond decided to dismiss the State’s lawsuit against the company.
“Since its founding in 2014, ClassWallet has dedicated itself to providing school districts and state agencies with its trusted digital wallet technology platform, designed to help leaders deliver on the promise of education.”
Drummond stated he’s dismissing the lawsuit in opposition to ClassWallet to concentrate on “a clear number of state actors and other individuals.”
“We had over 600 families that had qualified under the poverty line that had applications pending – that were not met. that is egregious,” Drummond stated.
Drummond stated Oklahoma will doubtless write a considerable verify to the federal authorities for what’s already spent. How a lot — is but to be decided.
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