Charter school fight headed to high court
The fiery charter school debate fought in the halls of the State House and at the ballot box will now go before the states highest court in a massive case that focuses on how far Massachusetts law goes to protect a childs right to an education.
The Supreme Judicial Court is set to hear a direct appeal from five unidentified Boston public school students who are challenging the validity of the states charter cap. Their argument is that the cap arbitrarily and unfairly deprives children in the poorest districts from receiving an adequate education.
Today there are 74 true charter schools in the state with 25 of them in Boston, according to a spokesman for the Massachusetts Charter Public School Association. Just this month, the spokesman added, there were 35,000 applications filed in the city for 2,100 open charter school seats.
The burden of the charter enrollment cap an arbitrary limit that furthers no legitimate educational goal falls squarely and disproportionately on children in less affluent districts like Boston, the appeal, filed in January, states.
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