Judge Voids City School Closings (victory for the United Federation of Teachers and the N.A.A.C.P.)

Source: NY Times

By SHARON OTTERMAN

A Manhattan judge on Friday reversed a city decision to close 19 schools for poor performance, ruling that education officials engaged in “significant violations” of state education law and failed to follow proper process in closing the schools.

The ruling means the city will have to start over again in making its case to close the schools — this time including more community input. That lengthy process will delay the moment when thousands of eighth graders who applied to the closing schools learn where they will go in the fall. It represents a victory for the United Federation of Teachers and the N.A.A.C.P., which had filed suit to stop the closings.

The judge, Joan B. Lobis of State Supreme Court in Manhattan, said the decision was not intended to delay admissions notifications for the other 80,000 eighth graders citywide who did not apply to the schools that were affected. High school admissions letters citywide, originally due to be distributed March 24, had been delayed pending the outcome of this lawsuit. The ruling may allow them to go out shortly.

Justice Lobis ruled that the city failed to act in compliance with education law when it issued its Educational Impact Statements for the schools, providing insufficient detail of what the closings would mean to the surrounding communities.

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