Normandy Transfer: An Evolving Story

After Friday’s decision by Judge Michael Burton that Francis Howell, Ritenour, and Pattonville School Districts would have to accept Normandy transfer students, Normandy parents exhaled a sigh of relief.

They thought the judge’s decision meant that all children were now able to return to the three school districts they had transferred to last year after the transfer law was upheld by the Missouri Supreme Court.

To their credit, this was how Ritenour and Pattonville interpreted Judge Burton’s decision. The two districts decided to accept all transfer students who had reapplied for the 2014-15 school year.

However, Francis Howell opted to accept only the one child named in the lawsuit, excluding the 350 other students who had reapplied for transfer.

Now, the fate of nine more Normandy students is in the hands of a judge. Attorney Joshua Schindler will appear in court today, fighting again for the rights of Normandy children to attend an accredited school of their choice.

Regardless of the judge’s decision concerning the several children named in this lawsuit, Francis Howell and Ferguson-Florissant should accept all Normandy transfer students.

These children have made their choice. Their choice should be respected, not just because it’s legally sound, but because it’s the right thing to do.