State Supreme Court denies petition for review; Charter schools must be located within geographic boundaries of the authorizing district
Published: January 25, 2017
On Jan. 18, 2017, the Supreme Court denied the Petition for Review in Anderson Union High School District v. Shasta Secondary Home School. The Third District Court of Appeal’s decision is therefore the final decision in the case.
The Court of Appeal previously held on Oct. 17, 2016 that geographic limitations imposed by the Charter Schools Act served to “clarify a district’s sovereignty over public education within its boundaries” and that the plain meaning of the law “is that a charter school authorized by a school district is to be located and operate entirely within the geographic boundaries of the authorizing school district,” unless statutory exceptions apply. Although there is an exception that allows charter schools to open a resource center or satellite facility in an adjacent county under certain conditions, the court found the exception did not authorize such facilities in the same county as the authorizing district but outside of the district’s boundaries.