Chapter Sixty-Two

Magna Carta Libertatum

After Jangle informed the Rogue Painting what had happened at the board meeting, Jennifer wasted little time hurrying to Wind's office the next morning. Then she sent Jangle to Jim Buchard's office, and ended up having to skip breakfast and was even late getting to class.

Fortunately, although Frank didn't know much sign language, he did know the alphabet, so the Rogue Painting was able to get a message across. Jennifer hurried in the door to find all of the students either had their projects out or were in the back row brainstorming some possible articles to add to the newspaper.

"I'm so sorry that took so long, Frank, but I'll talk to you about it between classes. This may not be the only class I'll be missing over the next few weeks," Jennifer warned softly.

"I'm sure you wouldn't have been late if it wasn't important. Rogue said you were in Wind's office," Frank whispered back. "Are you doing some special project for the Dean?"

"Yes, I'm trying to save this school," Jennifer replied. Frank stared at her with alarm. "I promise I'll tell you about it later."

"Sure, do whatever you have to do," Frank replied, then watched as she gathered up the students going to the Media Room and walking them over. "Just what I needed. Another reason to question my job security," Frank muttered to himself, then walked over to check on the students.

That evening, Frank went back to the room he was still sharing with Ray and Asher and discussed what he had learned over a pizza and a six pack of Bludger Beer, the other two growing unusually somber.

"Well, if they get that rule passed, I won't have a chance at coming back next year. I have an assault charge on my record," Raymond admitted with a sigh.

"Maybe it won't count because you were an Auror at the time?" Asher suggested.

"From the way it sounded, they were planning on making it a blanket 'no exceptions' policy," Frank said.

"But just criminal cases, not civil cases right?" Asher asked seriously.

"As far as I know," Frank sighed.

"I hope so. If they counted all of my restraining orders, I am really going to be in trouble," Asher said. Ray gave him a dirty look.

"If you ask me, we may be in trouble anyway. If they succeed, we'll be losing Brenda, Wind, Lavender, and anyone else on staff who's been arrested for minor offenses because a protest overheated. And who knows what other small infractions will come out because of all of this?" Frank said. "In principle, I can see the point of wanting to make certain a school's staff aren't a bunch of crooks, who wouldn't want that? But if this rule passes, I would be terrified to even attempt to go to a protest for fear that I may be at the wrong place at the wrong time and get picked up by the police for something, regardless of what I believe in."

"It makes me want to go out and protest the fact that I don't have the right to get arrested in a protest," Ray said dryly.

"That sounds like something your father would do," Frank said with a chuckle.

"You're right. I guess he has rubbed off on me some," Ray agreed. "So what's the plan, Frank?"

"I don't know. Jennifer wouldn't give me any details, only that she was really busy going back and forth between Wind and her lawyers and that we would learn more about what they're working on later," Frank said. "So I guess the plan right now is to keep things going smoothly here at the school, cover for Jennifer as needed, and hope whatever they're working on is going to fix things."

"Alright Frank. Just let us know if you need any extra help with anything," Ray replied, and Asher nodded in agreement.

As it happened, Ray soon learned that he did have a part to play. Jennifer had, rather abruptly and apologetically, stopped coming to sparring club. So Ray quickly had to take over the advanced students, and recruited Kay, who he had been helping do forms on the weekends, to take over the beginner class.

Once the students had all been trained in the Media Room, Frank had found a note waiting for him in the Items Room the next day, asking if he could please teach Items by himself. He later learned from Lavender that Jennifer had stayed up the night before running tests on a research project in New York, and between keeping up with her responsibilities there as well as helping Wind had managed to run herself to near exhaustion. Rather than risk falling asleep on her class, she had wisely taken the day off, getting caught up on some much needed sleep before hurrying off campus to make a late afternoon appointment with one of her lawyers.

The next day, envelopes went out to all of the teachers about a mandatory staff meeting in the Assembly Hall.

Wind Elk was delighted when the day of the next school board meeting came. The most delightful part of it was the fact that he had no reason to go, and decided to spend the evening in a school library with one of his favorite books.

Instead, Lunette Vallid took his spot so that she could watch all of the fun, while David and Willa looked over at her both awed and curious as to what she was doing there and why she had chosen to sit in Wind's seat.

Even as the school board was assembling, James Buchard stood at the podium, unconcerned that they had not yet been called to order or that he had yet to be recognized in any way. He stood there even as the school board went through their normal motions and procedures. Many of the board members passed him curious glances, and one or two gave him annoyed looks that he stood there without being called; only Rosemary Carmody gave him a thin knowing smile as Mr. Charleston finally turned in his direction.

"Mr. Buchard, we are getting ready to hear public comment about the possible changes to the morality clause," Mr. Charleston said. "If this is about the civil rights complaints that were sent to my office, we have received them. Or do you have further comment on the issue?"

"Mr. Charleston. I am here on a separate issue. I am here to represent the Whitebridge Academy on a matter that should be addressed before any other of tonight's matters... namely, I am here to explain why they do not have a secondary school representative tonight," Jim said.

"I see. Is Dean Elk in good health?" Mr. Charleston asked.

"Oh, it's nothing like that, not to worry," Jim quickly assured him. "But I am here to serve notice to this board that at the end of this school year on May 28th, Whitebridge Academy will no longer be considered under your board's jurisdiction. I have a copy of the notice and all legal paperwork here, and I have also sent a registered package to your office and your secretary's office as per requirements, and have informed the wireless to broadcast the notice during their community billboard segment since we do not currently have a circulating newspaper for their area."

"Impossible! Redistricting schools happen after a census, and school boards are directly involved in the process," Mr. Charleston said.

"True, for public Wizarding schools," Jim replied. "But this notice is to inform you that after this year, Whitebridge is no longer a public school. They have petitioned both the state and federal wizard agencies to become a charter school, to be governed by an internal school board chosen by the teachers and staff of the school, as per their charter."

The initial surprise and exclamations of the board were drowned out by all of those watching in the seats, everyone talking excitedly and loudly and making it hard for them to bring the room back to order. David and Willa glanced at each other worriedly.

"Mr. Buchard, I was always under the impression that the school board had some say in whether or not a school can convert to a charter or not," Mr. Charleston said.

"Now don't you think that'd be a conflict of interest, Mr. Charleston?" Jim pointed out. "Wizard schools don't have large school districts like the non-magic schools do, as you well know, and therefore school boards are a lot less likely to let a school go, knowing it's a loss of both funds and community power. In this particular case, it was quite easy to prove a conflict of interest existed, because of how hostile this board has been to Whitebridge and its staff of late. In fact, I've been gathering information and affidavits on the matter since late last year. There have even been complaints about a certain board member making threats and harassing one of the current teachers over past childhood grievances."

"That's a lie!" Steve shouted, standing up furiously. "I've never harassed anyone! Jennifer's the one that's always going after me!"

"Mr. Charleston, I would like it to be written in the minutes, for the record, that I never said who the board member or teacher was that I was referring to," Jim said calmly. Steve turned red with anger. "Furthermore, I had gathered most of the evidence about the ill intent of this board even before that proposal last meeting which was quite intentionally crafted in an attempt to get rid of key members of the school. And since I only need to prove there is a probable conflict of interest, the state and federal boards agreed to bypass some procedure in lieu of a notice, which I am serving right now. In short, it's completely out of your hands, whether you like it or not. And since this is the last meeting of the year, and anything you might do that might deemed hostile to Whitebridge tonight would garner a critical eye from state and federal Wizard Education boards now that they fully understand the situation, I suggest you think carefully about what sorts of nastiness you want to accomplish tonight. Anyway, that is all I have to say. Have a good meeting," Jim said, stepping off the podium while the entire room erupted in excited chatter.

"But what about us? What is going to happen to us?" Willa asked in a panic.

"Judge Vallid, I do not know why you are here," David said, turning to the witch next to him out of desperation. "But this is going to leave Pittsburgh and Allegheny Wizard Vocationals in a very compromised position without Wind here to back us up."

"Yes, I know, and that's exactly why I'm here," Lunette said with amusement. "Jennifer Craw and Wind Elk sent me because they were worried about your schools too. How would you like to go to dinner with Jim and me to discuss a possible Whitebridge extension program? You would be under the charter school's governing board, of course, but you would be offered a seat at the table."

"Oh, yes, please," Willa said quickly.

"It has to be better than this," David agreed. Nodding with a chuckle, Lunette nodded and got up, gesturing to the other two before the three of them joined Jim and left the chaos.

By the time Mr. Charleston got the room in order, there were no Deans at all sitting in the front row, and it slowly began sink in that the school board would soon have no schools to govern over.