A judge has struck down a Los Angeles school district policy that would have prevented charter schools from using classroom space at nearly 350 campuses.
The Los Angeles Times reports that the policy, set to go into effect when classes resume in three weeks, would have effectively barred charter schools from moving onto campuses with certain designations — including those with a special program for Black students, low-performing “priority” schools, and community schools, which have wrap-around services to address the needs of students and families inside and outside the classroom.
Altogether, 346 campuses out of about 1,000 would have been off limits to charters.
Charter school officials who challenged the policy argued that it denied them state-permitted access to space in public school facilities.
“We’re grateful the court recognized that LAUSD’s blatant attempt to exclude charter public school students from learning alongside traditional district school students in the communities they share violates California law,” said Myrna Castrejón, president and chief executive of the California Charter Schools Association.
There are 235 charter schools in the Los Angeles district.
Superior Court Judge Stephen I. Goorvitch upheld portions of the district policy. The district will be allowed to restrict the location of charters based on safety or capacity concerns.
The ruling arrived at an especially challenging time for both charters and district-operated campuses.
California law gives charter schools the right to public-school facilities that are “reasonably equivalent” to those available to other public-school students. The law also sets up a process through which charter schools can request space and pay rent to school districts.
Judge Goorvitch ruled that the district's policy “prioritizes District schools over charter schools and is too vague."
Charters leaders have been worried that, with so many restrictions, they would be pushed out of communities and forced to operate their schools out out of two or more district-run campuses, rather than keep their student body in one place.
