Whatever happened to “A Place Called Hope?”
It’s been replaced by a community so lacking in confidence in its public schools that its leaders trap those residents without the means for private, home school, or moving, and denies entry to anyone who would like to attend, but doesn’t live in the district. In short, Hope has given up on individual, familial and community economic development.
Only seven school districts in Arkansas, save the seven precluded by a federal judge in Garland County, do not participate in and benefit from inter-district school choice. Six of those seven are in Southwest Arkansas. And all of those are represented by the same Allen P. Roberts PA attorneys. This is the same firm which was recently fired by the Pulaski County Special School District, which by the way, will participate in School Choice in 2018.
Here’s what Hope claims are its conflicting federal court orders.
If exemption weren’t bad enough, the Hope School Board is now following its lawyers to U.S. District Court in an attempt to make “permanent” its exemption from state law. In other words, in the name of desegregation, it’s attempting to build a wall around its district and not let anyone in or out.
Attached are the Motion for Declaratory Judgement to Enjoin Transfer and Brief in Support of Declaratory Judgment, both filed September 7, 2017 in the U.S. District Court, Western District of Arkansas, Texarkana Division (U.S. District Judge Hickey).
It’s past time for Hope’s business, civic and parent leaders, as well as its distinguished natives, to step up and insist its school board withdraw these motions and join the rest of Arkansas in putting the best interests of students and families over the self interests of the status quo.
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