© 2024 WSHU
NPR News & Classical Music
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
89.9 FM is currently running on reduced power. 89.9 HD1 and HD2 are off the air. While we work to fix the issue, we recommend downloading the WSHU app.

Federal Judge Dismisses School Choice Lawsuit

Courtesy of Students Matter
Martinez v. Malloy plaintiffs Jose Martinez and Jessica Martinez outside the federal courthouse in Bridgeport in 2016.

A federal court has dismissed a lawsuit that challenged restrictions on Connecticut charter and magnet schools.

The lawsuit was filed in 2016. It argued that state laws and policies that set a moratorium on the opening of new magnet schools and laws that restricted the opening and expansion of charter schools forced students to remain in underperforming schools.

The Connecticut Post reports a Bridgeport school board member sued the state on behalf of her son, with backing from Students Matter, a California nonprofit run by a charter school owner who backed the lawsuit. A spokesperson says they will appeal the dismissal.

Connecticut has 23 state-funded charter schools.  

Cassandra Basler, a former senior editor at WSHU, came to the station by way of Columbia Journalism School in New York City. When she's not reporting on wealth and poverty, she's writing about food and family.