School district’s anti-takeover lawsuit against SC schools chief dismissed

A poor, rural school district’s lawsuit aimed at blocking the state from taking it over has been dismissed.

The S.C. Supreme Court Friday dismissed the Allendale County School District’s lawsuit against the state, saying the district and state officials had resolved their dispute.

Last month, Allendale sued the state, including S.C. Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman, saying she did not have the authority to seize control of the district’s operations, stripping power from the locally elected school board.

Spearman, a Republican, announced last month that she was taking control of the district, citing persistently low academic performance.

The Education Department said Friday that Allendale’s leaders have agreed to work with the state on the management of educational programs and school district operations.

“The South Carolina Department of Education and the Allendale County School District share the mutual goal to provide a program of rigorous instruction, high expectations, and a growth mindset to improve student achievement in the district,” the Education Department said in a statement.

This story was originally published July 28, 2017 at 2:26 PM with the headline "School district’s anti-takeover lawsuit against SC schools chief dismissed."