After examining concerns raised by a Utah lawmaker, state education officials say a new charter school building in Summit County is safe for students.

Now, supporters of Weilenmann School of Discovery say they were unfairly targeted by Rep. Larry Wiley, a West Valley City Democrat. A retired building inspector, Wiley visited the school on Wednesday, opening day, and reported concerns about the safety of the building — including blocked emergency exits and a temporary wooden hand rail on a stairway — to the Utah State Office of Education and the Utah Department of Public Safety.

"There’s really no issue other than what appears to be a rogue, anti-charter lawmaker who, based on some anonymous tip, went out to the school and tried to make a bunch of noise over what really are nonissues," said Lincoln Fillmore, a consultant who manages operations and finances for Weilenmann.

Dallis Nordstrom, a member of Weilenmann’s board who has overseen construction, said she filed an ethics complaint Thursday against Wiley for abuse of his legislative power.

"We wouldn’t open a school that was unsafe," she said, noting her daughter is a kindergartner at the school. "I don’t think he should be lodging complaints with [state agencies] and influencing them to go do inspections."

On Thursday, Wiley said conditions may have improved at the K-8 charter school since he visited Wednesday, but he thinks there should be a physical barrier, instead of yellow caution tape, separating the construction area from the rest of the site. He took action, he said, because he believed the school site posed life and safety risks.

"I would hope that any person, especially a person that is aware of and familiar with building codes, would respond the same way I did," he said. "I shouldn’t have to be the constituent who goes up there and says you’ve got a problem here. It should have been very obvious to both the school and the contractor."

He said he is "baffled" by claims that he is "anti-charter," noting he’s been "very supportive of charter schools."

Wiley added that he would "welcome" an ethics investigation so that he could share his side of the story.

But it appears he won’t get the chance.

Under state law, an ethics complaint is summarily dismissed if either party discusses it after it is filed. And a complaint can’t be refiled within 60 days of an election. As of today, there are 60 days leading up to the Nov. 2 election.

On Thursday, officials with the State Office of Education, including a licensed building inspector, toured Weilenmann and were satisfied with inspections conducted by a state fire marshal and private building inspector before the school opened its doors to 550 students. The school, which hugs a mountainside, has to wrap up construction within 30 days to receive a long-term occupancy permit. Currently, it lacks landscaping and some exterior and interior finishes.

"It was a beautiful school. I found no issues of safety at all," said Larry Newton, director of finance for the State Office of Education. "There was a lot of supervision everywhere. The children are being kept indoors all the time for schooling and for recess."

Jennifer Garner, a Park City mom, said she feels confident about safety at the school, where her 5-year-old son, Campbell, just started kindergarten.

"It looks messy on the outside, but the inside is flawless," she said. "The kids are happy. The teachers are happy."

rwinters@sltrib.com