A judge in Washington state has ruled that the state’s charter school law is constitutional, another twist in an ongoing legal battle.
The ruling late last week marks a big victory for proponents of charter schools and the eight charters that are already operating in Washington state. But it may not be the end of the fight. The state’s largest teachers’ union—the Washington Education Association—has not said whether it will appeal.
Washington’s original charter school law was passed by voter referendum in 2012. The state is a latecomer to the charter school world—only a handful of states, mostly more rural ones, have remained without charter laws.
In fall 2015, the Washington law was struck down by the state’s supreme court, but revived by the legislature the following spring. A group of parents and the WEA sued over the new version of the law, challenging its constitutionality.
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