The Groveport Madison (Ohio) school district is suing the state to challenge a fine levied for failing to provide transportation for private and charter school children.
Last year, the Ohio Department of Education said the district was violating state law because it was not providing busing to students attending a Columbus charter school, The Statehouse News Bureau reports. The state has directed Groveport Madison to pay $689,000 in transportation aid.
Ohio law requires public schools to transport all eligible students, including those who choose private or charter schools -- and the state can fine districts for not complying, reports The Columbus Dispatch.
The lawsuit contends the state's interpretation of what constitutes a “consistent or prolonged period of noncompliance" is arbitrary and the law is too vague to be constitutional.
Groveport Madison says it hired a bus company in an effort to provide the necessary transportation, but the company "repeatedly failed to provide satisfactory transportation services."
The lawsuit says Groveport Madison, already struggling to transport district students because of a bus driver shortage, will face "immediate, irreparable harm" if the fine is deducted from its next round of transportation dollars.
The district says if the state takes the funds, it would impair the district's ability to provide transportation for its students.
