A judge has ruled that the enrollment of Forrest City School District students by the nearby Palestine-Wheatley and Wynne school districts does not violate Forrest City's federal desegregation order.
The Palestine-Wheatley and Wynne districts have been enrolling students under the state's school-choice laws. The judge's ruling, which was handed down Monday, enables students living in the Forrest City district to continue to attend public schools in other districts or seek transfers to other districts in accordance with state laws.
The Forrest City school district claimed in a 2014 lawsuit that student transfers to neighboring districts were not permitted because of a long-standing desegregation order.
There are 18 Arkansas school districts, including Forrest City, that have claimed exemptions from school-choice laws because of desegregation obligations.
