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Agassi Prep prepares for Democracy Prep takeover

Posted at 7:43 PM, Feb 17, 2017
and last updated 2017-02-17 22:43:10-05

Tensions over The Andre Agassi College Preparatory Academy partnering with a New York-based charter school have died down as the merger comes closer to becoming a reality.

Friday, Governor Brian Sandoval joined Andre Agassi and Katie Duffy, the CEO of Democracy Prep Public Schools, to formally announce the partnership between the two organizations

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Starting in the fall, the school will be known as Democracy Prep at Agassi Campus. It will be the first school to join the Nevada Achievement School District.

Parents of Agassi Prep students protested the takeover for months. Duffy said since January, Democracy Prep has worked with parents, teachers, and students to relieve tensions.

“The first wave of critiques of Democracy Prep was that we had no fun, our kids were silent, not allowed to talk, there were no basketball teams, none of those things,” Duffy said. “Those kinds of things happen all day long as they should.”

Some parents said they are welcoming the new change because they think discipline will help young children in all aspects of life.

"There are times when you need to be still, and you need to listen, and you need to focus,” said Michele McIntyre whose first grader attends Agassi. “We have a good balance for them."

Governor Sandoval said the new school will serve as an example of what the Achievement School District is meant to accomplish.