Judge Blasts Missouri Over Effort To Close Charter School

Suggests officials should try to so something legally

A judge had strong words for Missouri's education agency in rejecting their move to close Gordon Parks Charter School.

Cole County Judge Daniel Green said the Missouri Board of Education had violated the state's open-meetings law and abused its power in rejecting the school's efforts to renew its charter.

The school's application met the state law and should be approved, Green ruled.

"Defendants' decision to deny the renewal of Gordon Parks' charter application was unlawful, unreasonable, arbitrary and involved an abuse of discretion," Green wrote. "The state board and DESE did not follow state law in reaching their conclusions."