Rare Legal Battle Over Charter School Heads to Appeals Court

Photo credit: Prairie Crossing Charter School website

The state appeals court will now review a rare case involving a Grayslake charter school that is fighting to stay open.

Woodland Elementary School District 50 filed a lawsuit last year in Cook County CIrcuit Court against Prairie Crossing Charter School alleging the school should not have been allowed to stay open because it did not increase student diversity as directed, according to the Daily Herald.

Cook County Judge Thomas Allen agreed with the school district and said that the state agency’s decision to allow the school to remain open should be reversed, the newspaper reports.

On June 11, Allen denied a motion to reconsider filed by the school.

Both sides on the case, as well as Allen, acknowledged that because of the rarity of the case, it would likely head to appellate court according to the Daily Herald.

Geoff Deignan, executive director at Prairie Crossing, said in a letter posted on the school’s website that the charter school will definitely remain open for the 2015-16 school year and would likely remain open through 2019.