Nevada Connections Academy’s high school — an online charter school once on the brink of closure — has been granted a three-year contract by the Nevada State Public Charter School Authority.

The Charter Authority Board approved the high school’s contract, which carries several conditions, during a virtual meeting Tuesday. The three-year term begins with the 2020-2021 school year. 

The decision marks a reversal from a board decision just three months ago. In late January, the board denied Nevada Connection Academy’s contract renewal for its middle and high school, blaming lackluster student achievement. The move followed hours of testimony from Charter Authority staff, who recommended denial, as well as school officials, parents, students who lobbied to keep their school open.

Nevada Connections Academy officials filed a lawsuit challenging the board’s January decision to shut it down. Charter Authority staff said the board’s decision Tuesday to allow the high school to remain open resolves the pending litigation. The Las Vegas Review-Journal first reported the reversal.

But only the charter’s high school will operate going forward. Nevada Connections Academy’s elementary and middle schools will close at the end of this academic year.

The three-year contract stipulates that Nevada Connections Academy cannot admit any more 11th or 12th graders, nor can it enroll more than 850 students combined for ninth and 10th grades. The school also agreed to not apply for an expansion amendment during the contract period.

Per the agreement, the Charter Authority also has the right to terminate the contract if the school receives a one-star rating through the Nevada School Performance Framework accountability system.

Each side will pay its own costs and attorneys’ fees to dismiss the litigation with prejudice, according to a briefing memo Charter Authority staff gave to the board.