PIACS Suit Against South Brunswick, Two Other School Districts to be Heard Tuesday

The suit filed by the the is expected to be heard before Judge Lisa James-Beavers at the Office of Administrative Law in Mercerville on Tuesday afternoon.

The suit, , alleges that the three school districts spent public funds and used their institutional status to prevent an approved public charter school from opening.

PIACS co-founder Parker Block said in August that the suit is basically a restraining order in an attempt to keep the districts from violating state law.

"It became clear to us that the districts will spare no expense to try and keep the school from opening and to deny parents' rights to enroll their kids," Block said. "This is what we've seen from districts all around the state, whether it's blocking facilities or throwing up legal hurdles."

In response to the lawsuit, South Brunswick Superintendent Gary McCartney, Princeton Regional Schools Superintendent Judith Wilson, and West Windsor-Plainsboro Superintendent Victoria Kniewel released a joint press release saying it was their responsibility to make sure the needs and safety of local students were being met by PIACS.

"The Princeton Regional School District, West Windsor-Plainsboro School District and South Brunswick School District have acted on behalf of ALL children and ALL taxpayers in reviewing and monitoring ALL charter school applications brought before us over the last several years and will continue to do so in years ahead," the release said. "It is clearly the Boards’ duty to not only be sound stewards of public funds but certainly to also ascertain and insure that children are traveling on safe bus routes, attending schools housed in suitable facilities with appropriate health and safety standards in place and being provided the promised curriculum."

A PIACS spokesperson said that recent OPRA requests have revealed that "outside consultants, retained to thwart the charter school from opening, have already cost the districts $85,000 through July 31, 2011. These fees were incurred before the August 10th filing of the lawsuit being heard (Tuesday), and can be expected to mount as the anti-charter activities have continued."

The suit will be heard at 3 p.m. at the Office of Administrative Law, 9 Quakerbridge Plaza, Mercerville. 

Do you think the PIACS lawsuit is justified? Share your thoughts in the comments.