3 Schools Win Suit Over Duquesne Student Transfer

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court says a law that allowed the state to transfer students out of the Duquesne Public School District’s high school to a trio of neighboring districts doesn't pass constitutional muster. The court unanimously found a lower court had erred when it ruled the state Department of Education had the right to transfer students from the shuttered Duquesne High School to West Mifflin, East Allegheny and South Allegheny districts. The state took over the district in 2000 and closed the high school in 2007. The state cited budget issues, poor test scores and declining enrollment when it closed the high school. The three districts filed the suit. The high court found the state law under which the students were transferred to be unconstitutional because it was so specific as to reasonably apply only to Duquesne and therefore constitutionally prohibited. The case was sent back to Commonwealth Court for further consideration.