Closing Newark schools is illegal because Anderson didn’t comply with law, legal experts say
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The controversial plan by the Christie administration to close, transfer to charters, or otherwise “repurpose” nearly half of the city’s public schools is illegal and must stop, according to the Education Law Center (ELC). The scheme, dubbed “One Newark,” has sparked widespread demonstrations and open hostility among city residents directed against state-appointed superintendent Cami Anderson.
Elizabeth Athos, the senior attorney for the public interest law firm, warned Anderson in a letter dated Jan. 28, that the state administration cannot move forward with the plan because it has failed to abide by state regulations governing the closing of schools. It has not provided updated plans required by rules that have the force of law and can be enforced in court.
The letter is expected to enhance the growing opposition to the Anderson regime running New Jersey’s largest district. On Jan. 17, she suspended five principalswho spoke out against the plan but then reinstated them in the face of community outrage; the principals have since sued her in federal court. Anderson also