Transfers from unaccredited districts begin in St. Louis area

Hundreds of students living in the Normandy (Mo.) School District boarded buses to distant schools in the Francis Howell district as part of the first wave of a process that will remove students from two unaccredited school districts in the St. Louis region. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that the first day for students transferring to other districts was relatively calm, though there were some transportation glitches, such as buses taking children to the wrong schools. About 475 students who had attended Normandy schools have opted for transfers to Francis Howell. Under a Missouri Supreme Court ruling, students in unaccredited districts have the right to attend higher-performing schools; the cost of transportation and tuition are the responsibility of the home district. Students also will be bused to Mehlville and Kirkwood school districts, from Riverview Gardens, the other area district deemed unaccredited. The Ferguson-Florissant district also was enrolling hundreds of children.