Judge Orders Two Buffalo Charter Schools Remain Open
Two Buffalo charter schools will be able to remain open, at least temporarily, thanks to a judge's recent ruling. Westminster Community and Enterprise charter schools, which had been deemed to close by the Buffalo School Board, are now allowed to keep students at their desks. New York State Supreme Court Justice Mark A. Montour ruled in favor of the schools to remain open, while the case is ongoing. His order allows the schools to stay open for the 2021-22 school year. If the judge had not ruled in favor of the schools, they would have been closed by the Buffalo Board of Education tomorrow, Wednesday, June 30, 2021.
Andrew Freedman and Kirsten J. Barclay, the attorneys Westminster and Enterprise Charter Schools said, in a media advisory I received,
“We’re pleased with the judge’s ruling and the strength of his decision. Most importantly, the students and families will not be uprooted from their schools, which have provided educational, social and physical stability throughout the pandemic. Westminster and Enterprise are also grateful to their staffs for keeping the important work of educating children foremost throughout the uncertainty of the past few months.”
The Buffalo School Board had voted to close the schools on March 31, 2021. That decision created a situation where it was too late for parents to find other charter schools for their children to attend. There are 950 students between the two schools, in grades kindergarten through 8th grade. With the judge's decision, those students can remain at their schools until June of next year.