City Firefighters Sue Kirkwood Schools

St. Louis firefighters may have to live in the city, but they want their children going to school here in Kirkwood.

Five St. Louis Fire Department firefighters filed a lawsuit arguing for their right to send their children to schools in the Kirkwood School District as well as in Webster Groves and Lindbergh schools.

The Outstanding Schools Act, signed in 1993, allows parents in unaccredited school districts—such as St. Louis'—to transfer their children to nearby accredited schools at the expense of the failing school district. 

But these firefighters say all three school districts have denied their children.

“These men and woman (firefighters) provide the highest level of service and selflessness,” Tim Belz, attorney for the firefighters told KMOX during a press conference. “They deserve our gratitude, but what they get are sleepless nights and financial strain trying to provide a quality education for their children. The Outstanding Schools Act is a crystal-clear law, yet suburban districts refuse to comply.”

Kirkwood School District said they have 47 students from unaccredited schools trying to enroll. The district is waiting for court cases to be settled before making final decisions.

If the firefighters can't transfer their children to nearby public schools, they must choose between unaccredited public schools or schools that charge tuition. One firefighter told the St. Louis Beacon he pays more than $20,000 for his children to attend parochial schools.

"I should be able to send my child to an accredited district at no cost to me," Shawn Ryan, who's worked 19 years as a firefighter, told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "The Outstanding Schools Act is a law but it's not being enforced."