Judge Rules Against Transfers in Turner v. Clayton

A judge on Tuesday ruled in favor of the School District of Clayton in a widely-watched case that deals with the transfer of students from unaccredited schools to accredited ones, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.

Quoting from the Post-Dispatch article:

"Under the ruling, students from unaccredited school districts would not have the right to transfer to better school districts for free."

Judge David Lee Vincent III presided over a three-day trial about the case in March, where witnesses said allowing the students to transfer would bankrupt St. Louis Public Schools and be an unfunded mandate for county schools. 

The case has been in the legislature and courts for the last five years without a resolution.

(Read the complete Turner v. Clayton ruling issued Tuesday in the PDF attached.)

Chief Communications Officer Chris Tennill of the  said the district is "thrilled" with the ruling.

"This is a statute that, in its current form, doesn't work the way it's intended to," said Tennill, describing how the ruling by Judge David Lee Vincent III aligns with the district's positions on student transfers.

He said it's unclear whether plaintiffs will appeal the case, so the district will take a wait-and-see approach for the immediate future. If it is appealed, he said, the district is prepared to continue facing the issue of transfers with the "same dedication and intensity" as it has for the last five years.

Since they are both relatively close to St. Louis City, both Affton and Bayless school districts were likely destinations for students looking to jump out of SLPS.

“Most likely we can’t take more than 200 without having to hire more personnel or look at different facilities,” Affton Assistant Superintendent Ken Weissflug .

Bayless Superintendent Maureen Clancy-May told Patch she was concerned abou the effects on the VICC program.

Read more about the Turner v. Clayton decision and read reaction from an attorney for the plaintiffs in the complete Post-Dispatch report.

More about Turner v. Clayton on Patch:

• No Legislative Fix for Turner vs. Clayton