COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost announced Thursday evening that he is suing the Columbus City Schools Board of Education after the district said they would no longer be transporting certain private and charter school students to their schools.
Yost's filing in the Ohio Supreme Court seeks to compel CCS to immediately provide transportation to and from charter and private schools for each student whose family requested mediation regarding bus service until the mediation is resolved.
The attorney general's office alleges the district failed to provide legally required notice to affected families of their right to mediation, and demands that the district provide a list of students deemed as "impractical" to transport.
The district is obligated to provide transportation for charter and private school students who live within the district’s boundaries and no more than 30 minutes from the public school to which they would be assigned if they attended, the attorney general's office said.
Yost's office said CCS has not complied with the law since the start of the academic year.
The district also failed to provide transportation to students challenging the district’s “impracticality” decision, which is also in violation of state law, his office added.
“As a parent and grandparent, I understand the importance of making sure every child has a safe way to get to and from school,” Yost said. “These families have a right to choose what school is best for their child, and the law is clear that transportation is to be provided. The School Board needs to comply with the law whether they agree with it or not.”
Yost sent a cease-and-desist letter Tuesday, warning the district to resume transporting the impacted students or they could face a lawsuit from the state.
The district sent a letter to Yost Thursday afternoon before the lawsuit was announced defending their decisions and actions.
"Your threat to file a lawsuit against CCS is an improper infringement upon CCS’s right to make ineligibility and impractical to transport determinations," CCS's letter says. "Your threat to file a lawsuit against CCS is also an infringement upon the equal rights of public school districts and community or nonpublic school parents/guardians to due process."
Superintendent Dr. Angela Chapman sent a message to families Thursday evening addressing the matter, saying that she is "leaning into this issue" with her team.