Arkansas Supreme Court upholds closing of school

From Arkansas News: The Arkansas Board of Education did not violate the state constitution when it approved the closure of a small school in rural Yell County, the state Supreme Court has ruled. The court upheld the board’s decision to approve closure of the Fourche Valley K-12 campus. Parents who challenged the closing argued it would force their children to spend up to four hours a day on bus rides. The long bus rides would have a negative impact on their children’s education and violate their rights under the state constitution to an adequate education, the parents contended. In early 2009, the school board of the Two Rivers School District voted 6-1 to close the Fourche Valley school, saying that shutting down the isolated campus would help the district avoid fiscal distress. The state Education Board voted 5-2 to approve the local school board’s decision, and the school closed in June of last year.