Clayton School District Issues Statement on Court Ruling

The Missouri Supreme Court has ruled in favor of parents who filed a lawsuit against the Clayton School District. 

The Supreme Court's ruling said a lower court decision incorrectly determined that the statute would be impossible to enforce, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The court sent the issue back to the lower court.

The Clayton School District Tuesday issued the following statement on the issue: 

"The Missouri Supreme Court unanimously reversed Judge David Lee Vincent's ruling in the case of Breitenfeld v. The School District of Clayton, et al, which previously held that the statute governing transfers from unaccredited school districts was impossible to comply with, unconstitutional and unenforceable.
The School District of Clayton was disappointed to learn of the Court’s opinion in the case of Breitenfeld v. The School District of Clayton, et al. The District still believes, as it has asserted throughout this case, that the issues at hand have broad implications for all school districts throughout St. Louis County and across the state of Missouri. These issues still need to be resolved in a way that provides manageable parameters that protect the interests of students residing in both accredited and unaccredited school districts. 
While the District has had time to briefly review the Court’s opinion, it will continue to meet with its attorneys over the next few days to evaluate its options and provide updates once it has determined its next steps."

The unanimous decision by the Missouri Supreme Court sends the case back to a lower court. Read the full high court ruling here.

At the heart of the case is whether suburban St. Louis County school districts should be required to enroll students who request transfers from unaccredited schools. Officials representing Clayton schools argued that such a requirement would represent an unfunded mandate. 

The case, originally known as Turner vs. Clayton was consolidated under the umbrella of the Gina Breitenfeld case. Breitenfeld, a St. Louis Public Schools parent who has children enrolled in Clayton schools, was the remaining plaintiff in the case.