Price Lab Lawsuit Remains Wildcard in Final Days of Classes

With less than a week of classes left at Malcolm Price Laboratory School, the question remains - what about that lawsuit?

A group of Price Lab parents and community members filed a lawsuit challenging the Iowa Board of Regents legal authority to close the school. The challengers were hoping to keep their school open. But the last day of the school year is Wednesday, and no hearing date has been set.

Many teachers have taken jobs elsewhere, and many students have enrolled in other schools, though many also filed enrollment forms for Price Lab in case their school survives. No funding for the school has been allocated by the state legislature or by UNI. So, if the lawsuit is decided in the parent's favor, what then?

University Relations spokeswoman Stacey Christensen told Patch she didn't have any information about how UNI would react if the Board of Regents loses the lawsuit.

"UNI reports to the Board of Regents, and they instructed us to close the school," she said. "We aren’t even entertaining the hypothetical. We’ve been charged to close the school and we’re just following protocol and procedure on that."

Price Lab parent Dave Deibler, one of the organizers of the group Keep Price Lab Open, also said he wasn't sure exactly what would happen if the lawsuit is successful, but that he would expect to see the school operating in the fall.

"Do we intend to hold them to the rule of law? Yes," he said. "I think its very reasonable for them to do what they said they would do. Do I expect them to hire teachers? Yes. If they lose then they are going to have to make it right."

He said he is hopeful for a decision by the end of June, but wasn't sure when a court date would be set.

"We absolutely, positively have not given up," he said.