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Fate of All-Girls Charter School Again in the Hands of the Courts

Reach Academy Website

WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) - Less than a year after attorneys agreed to dismiss a federal lawsuit challenging a decision by Delaware education officials to close Reach Academy, the future of the struggling, all-girls charter school is once again before a federal judge.

The judge was to hold an initial hearing Friday in yet another lawsuit by supporters seeking to keep Reach Academy open.

Officials first announced in November 2013 that Reach, a predominantly black school in New Castle with a history of financial and academic struggles, would close. School officials and supporters responded with a lawsuit claiming gender discrimination and unfair treatment.

The judge subsequently granted a preliminary injunction and ordered officials to renew the school's charter for another year.

But the state board of education voted again last month to close the school.

Don Rush is the News Director at Delmarva Public Media. An award-winning journalist, Don reports major local issues of the day, from sea level rise, to urban development, to the changing demographics of Delmarva.