69´«Ă˝

Law & Courts

Supreme Court Asks for Biden Administration’s Views on Legal Status of Charter 69´«Ă˝

By Mark Walsh — January 09, 2023 3 min read
Thunder storm sky over the United States Supreme Court building in Washington DC.
  • Save to favorites
  • Print
Email Copy URL

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday asked the Biden administration to weigh in on a pending appeal about whether charter schools are acting with government authority when they adopt rules for student behavior.

The appeal stems from the high-profile case of a North Carolina charter with rules barring girls from wearing slacks or shorts. The case has become a flashpoint among some conservative groups—not over restrictive and allegedly discriminatory dress codes but for what it might mean for the legal status of charter schools.

A federal appeals court ruling that the school involved is a “state actor”—that is, acting with the authority of government—“undoes the central feature of charter schools by treating their private operators as the constitutional equivalent of government-run schools, squelching innovation and restricting parental choice,” says the in (Case No. 22-238).

The court’s request that the U.S. solicitor general weigh in on the question suggests at least one justice is interested in granting full review of the case. And while the court usually follows the recommendation of the solicitor general’s office on pending appeals when it seeks such advice, that isn’t always the case.

Meanwhile, Charter Day School, a K-8 school in Leland, N.C., which teaches a classical curriculum, has pressed its case not only with it own legal briefs but also with an in The Wall Street Journal. George F. Will embraced the school’s arguments in last week as well.

“Only the Supreme Court can protect charters from progressives” who are “ever eager to break all institutions to the saddle of government,” he wrote.

The North Carolina school also has the support of several states and groups filing friend-of-the-court briefs at this early stage in the high court.

“The question presented in this case … warrants this court’s attention because it may dictate whether [charter] schools can continue to exist,” says a and signed by nine other Republican-leaning states.

The 10-6 ruling by the full U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit, in Richmond, Va., last June attracted more attention for its discussion and debate about dress codes, “chivalry” and other values of the Middle Ages, and gender stereotypes.

But that also included robust debate about whether charter schools are state actors subject to the U.S. Constitution. The majority noted that North Carolina refers to its charter schools as “public” and that Charter Day School received 95 percent of its funding from public sources. Furthermore, they argued, North Carolina had delegated part of its state constitutional obligation to educate the state’s students to charter school operators, and those operators are performing a function traditionally reserved for the state.

There were two vigorous dissents on the state-actor issue, including one by Judge J. Harvie Wilkinson III, who said the majority decision “will drape a pall of orthodoxy over charter schools and shift educational choice and diversity into reverse.”

The American Civil Liberties Union, which represents the female students who challenged the charter school’s dress code, told the Supreme Court that the case would make a poor one to decide the question of whether charter schools are state actors.

For one thing, there is a question still being litigated in the case about whether the school’s dress code violates Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. That law bars sex discrimination in federally funded schools, and no one in the case disputes that it covers Charter Day School. Additionally, North Carolina imposes a contractual obligation on charter operators to abide by the state and federal constitutions, so the school is legally bound to respect students’ constitutional rights whether it is a state actor or not, the ACLU wrote.

The high court did not set a deadline for the Biden administration to file a brief in response. Past practice suggests that a request from the court midway through its term would likely result in a brief being filed near the end of the term in June.

Coverage of strategies for advancing the opportunities for students most in need, including those from low-income families and communities, is supported by a grant from the Walton Family Foundation, at www.waltonk12.org. Education Week retains sole editorial control over the content of this coverage.

Events

School & District Management Webinar Crafting Outcomes-Based Contracts That Work for Everyone
Discover the power of outcomes-based contracts and how they can drive student achievement.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
School & District Management Webinar
Harnessing AI to Address Chronic Absenteeism in 69´«Ă˝
Learn how AI can help your district improve student attendance and boost academic outcomes.
Content provided by 
School & District Management Webinar EdMarketer Quick Hit: What’s Trending among K-12 Leaders?
What issues are keeping K-12 leaders up at night? Join us for EdMarketer Quick Hit: What’s Trending among K-12 Leaders?

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.

Read Next

Law & Courts The Uncertainty Ahead for Title IX and Transgender 69´«Ă˝ in Trump's New Term
Trump may not be able to withdraw the Title IX rule on "Day 1," but advocates on both sides expect it to go away.
7 min read
Marshall University students hold a protest to voice concerns over the handling of Title IX-related issues at the university on Nov. 18, 2022, in Huntington, W.Va.
Marshall University students hold a protest to voice concerns over the handling of Title IX-related issues at the university on Nov. 18, 2022, in Huntington, W.Va.
Sholten Singer/The Herald-Dispatch via AP
Law & Courts Ten Commandments Law for Public 69´«Ă˝ Is 'Impermissible,' Judge Rules
The Louisiana law would require displays of the Ten Commandments in every public school classroom.
4 min read
Photo of Ten Commandments poster on school wall.
Getty
Law & Courts Supreme Court Weighs High-Stakes Fraud Issue for E-Rate Program
The justices appear to lean toward a ruling that could help keep schools from being overcharged by telecommunications companies.
8 min read
Image of students working on a computer.
Carlos Barquero Perez/iStock/Getty
Law & Courts Court Battles and Presidential Election Have Big Implications for Title IX Regulation
A federal appeals court heard arguments about whether some provisions of the Title IX regulation should be allowed to go into wider effect.
4 min read
Image of a gavel
iStock/Getty