A panel of the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Louis on Thursday upheld an earlier decision by a U.S. District judge that restricts Arkansas School Choice Act transfers out of four south Arkansas school districts — Hope, Lafayette County, Junction City and Camden-Fairview.
U.S. District Judge Susan O. Hickey of El Dorado had granted motions by the districts to modify their longstanding court orders and consent decrees to prohibit segregative inter-district student transfers out of the districts unless a transfer was requested on a case-by-case basis for educational or compassionate purposes.
The 8th Circuit panel, with one justice dissenting, found that the lower court did not abuse her discretion in the decision to modify the longstanding court orders and consent decrees.
Read Friday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.