Attorney Asks State Supreme Court to Deny JCPS Student Assignment Case Review

An attorney representing several Jefferson County Public Schools parents has filed a response to theschool district’s attempt to overturn a ruling against the student assignment plan.Teddy Gordon has been arguing against JCPS for over a decade. He even won a U.S. Supreme Court decision in 2007, which called the district’s student assignment plan unconstitutional.Gordon is now asking the State Supreme Court to let a previous ruling against the district’s student assignment plan stand. The decision would allow students to enroll in the school nearest their homes.The current student assignment plan involves long bus rides and the district has spent money on a plan that has led to a decrease in parent involvement, Gordon writes in his response. He recalls Appellate Court Justice Michael Caperton, who questioned students traveling long distances to failing schools.The State Supreme Court must decide whether its wants to hear the case, but that decision could be more than a year away.JCPS is currently considering changes to its student assignment plan and the school board is expected to vote on a new proposal Dec. 12, which would effect the 2012-2013 school year. The board may also postpone approving a new plan until spring, pushing implantation back a year.Some board members have expressed concern about making changes to the plan while the case is pending in the courts.Click here to see Gordon's response to Kentucky Supreme Court.