Court Blocks Accrediting Agency's Reprimand of Gary District

By Peter Schmidt

An Indiana state court last week blocked a regional accrediting organization from reprimanding the Gary school system for its governance problems.

A Lake County Superior Court judge ruled that the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools had denied the Gary school board due process when it determined that the board's power struggle with the district's superintendent violated N.C.A. standards.

Judge James Danikolas enjoined the nonprofit N.C.A., which institutions belong to on a voluntary basis, from taking action to formally classify the district's schools as having been warned of possible accreditation loss. He concluded that such action would cause...