Judge Overturns LAUSD Policy on Charter School Access

Students from charter and traditional public schools collaborating in a classroom environment.

News Summary

A Los Angeles County Superior Court judge has ruled against the LAUSD’s policy that restricted charter schools’ access to classroom space at nearly 350 campuses. This ruling is a significant win for charter school officials who argued that the limitations infringed upon their rights under California law. The judge maintained some restrictions based on safety but deemed much of the policy unconstitutional, highlighting ongoing tensions between charter schools and district-operated schools. The ruling comes amid concerns about the impact on student enrollment and school accessibility.

Los Angeles, CA – Judge Overturns LAUSD Policy on Charter School Access

A Los Angeles County Superior Court judge has ruled that the Los Angeles Unified School District’s (LAUSD) policy limiting charter schools’ access to classroom space at nearly 350 campuses is unconstitutional. This decision comes just weeks before the new school year is set to begin and the policy was scheduled to take effect.

The contested policy would have restricted charter schools from transferring onto campuses identified for special programs aimed at Black students, low-performing “priority” schools, and community schools offering wrap-around services. In total, 346 out of approximately 1,000 LAUSD campuses would have been inaccessible to charter schools under this policy.

Charter school officials argued that the policy infringed upon their legal right to access public school facilities as stipulated by California law. The California Charter Schools Association has welcomed the ruling as a recognition of the exclusionary nature of the district’s policy.

Currently, there are 235 charter schools operating within the Los Angeles district, and the ruling underlines persistent tensions between charter schools and district-operated campuses over issues such as space allocation. Judge Stephen I. Goorvitch maintained some elements of the district’s policy that allow for restrictions based on safety or capacity concerns, but largely deemed the overall structure of the policy flawed.

California law mandates that charter schools receive “reasonably equivalent” facilities to those available to traditional public school students. Charter leaders have raised significant concerns regarding operational challenges resulting from restrictions that could lead to the displacement of students from their communities and the splitting of student bodies across different campuses.

The underpinnings of this legal battle can be traced back to Proposition 39, enacted in 2000, which requires school districts to provide equivalent facilities to charter schools. This legislation has been an ongoing source of contention between district administrations and charter operators. The judge noted that the LAUSD policy “prioritizes District schools over charter schools,” determining that it was too vague and thus violated existing legal standards.

Data shows that the number of LAUSD schools sharing space with charter schools has decreased by 43% over the last seven years, with only 41 schools expected to house independently managed charter schools in the upcoming academic year, highlighting a marked reduction from previous figures.

In the wake of the ruling, LAUSD is currently assessing the court’s decision and has yet to decide on the possibility of an appeal. The district has reaffirmed its commitment to fulfilling its legal obligations while prioritizing the interests of students and their communities.