Saint Louis, Mo. — Last Friday, buried in the news of ongoing unrest in Ferguson, a St. Louis County Circuit Court judge ruled in favor of parents who sued the state and several local school districts for refusing to re-enroll their children in the coming school year.
Earlier this summer, the State Board of Education dissolved the Normandy School District and created the Normandy Schools Collaborative, making it the first district in the state to fall under the direct oversight of the state. In doing so, the board also revoked Normandy’s accreditation status, effectively removing the legal obligation area schools are under to accept transfer students from “unaccredited” schools.
“Regardless, the State Board had no authority to create the classification that it did,” read the ruling.
The ruling only technically applies to the few children identified in the lawsuit. While the judge ordered that Pattonville, Ritenour, Ferguson-Florissant and Francis Howell districts must immediately allow the children of the four families back in their schools, the ruling will almost certainly be used in later court rulings to allow all of Normandy’s prospective transfer students to leave the district.
“It is in the public interest for the plaintiffs to prevail,” the judge wrote. “Every child in this community has a right to a decent education.”
Joshua Schindler, who represented the Normandy families, said the ruling was clear that all Normandy students from last year’s transfer program out to be allowed to transfer.
Pattonville and Ritenour have both agreed to take all Normandy transfer students, not just those named in the lawsuit. Ferguson-Florissant School District has not yet made a decision about transfers, given growing uncertainty about the Ferguson protests and the school’s cancellation of this week’s classes. Francis Howell school district, however, has said they will only take students specifically identified in the lawsuit.
“Maybe if the judge had drawn a picture for Francis Howell they would understand,” Schindler said. “There’s no reasonable person who can read that ruling and not see it as the court ruling that all children have a legal right to attend an accredited school district.”
Schindler will be in court once again on Wednesday, where he is hopeful that the court will rule similarly for 5 new Normandy families. Schindler said he would continue to ask the court to broaden it’s ruling to apply to any “similarly situated student,” he also said he would be willing to go to the court a few families at a time if necessary.
“I believe a court order will ultimately be found to apply to all similarly situated students,” Schindler said. “But we’re prepared to go back to court 5 or 10 or 20 families at a time if necessary.”
Collin Reischman was the Managing Editor for The Missouri Times, and a graduate of Webster University with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism.
