An Impromptu Interview With Epic Charter Schools Co-Founder Ben Harris

Epic Charter Schools co-founder Ben Harris is not known for speaking extensively to media, so when he exited through a locked door I was trying to enter the evening of Monday, Jan. 25, I stopped in my tracks and turned on my recording device.

When it comes to interviewing influential people unexpectedly, it was not my first rodeo. As a journalist covering the Oklahoma State Capitol, I occasionally cross paths with the governor, legislative leaders or even visiting congresspersons when I least expect it. Sometimes I turn the corner and — BAM — there’s my chance to ask a couple questions in a more casual setting than a press conference.

Harris, of course, has not done many (any?) press conferences since his pair of virtual charter schools came under criminal investigation in 2013 for allegations of misusing state funds. And why would he?

You can read the rest of the Ben Harris interview at NonDoc.

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The Oklahoma Media Center, launched by Local Media Foundation with financial support from Inasmuch Foundation and the Walton Family Foundation, is a collaborative of 18 Oklahoma newsrooms that includes print, broadcast and digital partners. The OMC’s first project is Changing Course: Education & COVID. Griffin Communications is part of the collaborative, and this story is part of that effort.