Alleging a Grayslake charter school violated a 2009 renewal by not increasing student diversity, Woodland Elementary District 50 has filed a lawsuit seeking to overturn a five-year reauthorization for Prairie Crossing Charter School, according to media reports.
The Chicago Tribune reports the lawsuit claims the charter school used millions of dollars in state aid meant for at-risk and low-income students to "pay for a small number of charter school students."
Officials said most of the $3.5 million in state aid the Woodland Community Consolidated School District 50 in Gurnee was eligible for went to the charter school, which has fewer than 2 percent of "at risk" students, according to the article. In comparison, 30 percent of District 50's 6,425 students are considered "at risk.
District 50 filed the lawsuit Tuesday in the Cook County Circuit Court and the Illinois State Charter School Commission, Prairie Crossing and the Illinois State Board of Education are all named in the lawsuit, according to the Daily Herald.
The charter school commission recently approved a renewal for Prairie Crossing through 2018-19 year with conditions outlined that the school "make an effort to diversify the student body," according to the article. The charter school commission claims Prairie Crossing is not in violation of any "state mandates regarding pupil diversity."
Read more on the Chicago Tribune.
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