Nine more parents have joined a lawsuit challenging the Jefferson County Public Schools' student assignment plan.It brings to ten the number of parents who contend the school district is in violation of a state law that allows them to enroll their children in public schools closest to their homes.Attorney Teddy Gordon originally filed the suit on behalf of a parent in Jeffersontown whose child was denied admission to a nearby school. He says the state law he cites was never repealed and is no longer trumped by Jefferson County's federal desegregation plan."There was a previous federal decision that stayed the enforcement of the law during the period of time that we had the desegregation order. That impediment was lifted with my case of Hampton versus Jefferson County Public schools in the year 2000. Therefore this is still a good and valid law," Gordon said.School district lawyers are asking for dismissal of the suit; they argue that state law applies only to school districts that have merged.The nine new plaintiffs are represented by attorneys Bruce Miller and Sheila Hiestand. A hearing on the suit is set for August 5
Rick Howlett was midday host and the host of LPM's weekly talk show, "In Conversation." He was with LPM from 2001-2023 and held many different titles, including Morning Edition host, Assignment Editor and Interim News Director. He died in August 2023. Read a remembrance of Rick here.
