The Arkansas Supreme Court has issued a stay immediately halting an injunction hearing to stop state control of the Little Rock School District.
The state had requested a stay while they appealed a lawsuit that challenged its takeover of the district. Arkansas argued that such a complaint cannot be filed against a state agency. The court was informed of the stay while Little Rock Superintended Dexter Suggs was testifying.
Former school board members criticized the state at the Wednesday injunction hearing for taking over the Little Rock School District without a clear plan for academic improvement.
The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports that plaintiffs in a lawsuit challenging the takeover want an injunction to stop state control of the school district, at least until a full hearing can be held about the situation.
Attorneys for the school board allege that state officials acted outside of their legal authority when they took over the state's largest district and dismissed the board.
The takeover was prompted mostly by the fact that several of the district's schools are in academic distress. Six of the district's 48 schools failed to score at a proficient level on state math and literacy tests over a three-year period.
