The Missouri Supreme Court is deciding whether the Webster Groves school district must enroll a student from the city of St. Louis.
The court heard arguments Wednesday on a case related to Missouri law that allows students from unaccredited districts to transfer to accredited districts. State lawmakers are also considering how to implement or revise the law. Three school systems in St. Louis and Kansas City are unaccredited.
In 2010, a teenager's family sued to force the Webster Groves School District in St. Louis County to enroll her in its high school. A judge granted the request last June, but the district appealed and the student was not enrolled.
Webster Groves says the St. Louis Public Schools should be a party in the lawsuit because the city district would have to pay the student's tuition and transportation.
The Supreme Court ruled in favor of such students in 2010 in the Turner vs. Clayton Public Schools case. But the ruling is still pending until the case can be heard in circuit court next month. That case is slightly different because the student was already enrolled in Clayton schools, and the parents were paying tuition.
