District To Appeal Ruling That It Must Pay For Students To Attend Out-of-town School

ARUNDEL, Maine — The Regional School Unit 21 Board of Directors has voted to appeal the decision of the Maine Superior Court that Arundel middle school students have the right to attend Thornton Academy Middle School at the expense of the district. On Oct. 5, York County Superior Court Judge Wayne Douglas ruled in a lawsuit filed by a group of Arundel parents and Thornton Academy over two years ago, saying that under the 2007 School Reorganization Law the Maine legislature intended to preserve school choice in towns that previously allowed it. In a statement issued last Friday, RSU 21 Superintendent Katie Hawes said the board met with district attorneys in executive session to discuss the decision and then voted unanimously to pursue the appeal. [Judge rules Maine district must pay for students to attend out-of-town middle school] “The Board felt that the Superior Court was in error when it decided that students from Arundel have a never ending right to attend private school at public expense, even though Arundel’s contract with Thornton Academy had expired.