A state appeals court has upheld a lower court decision that says North Carolina cannot deny at-risk children admission to the state’s prekindergarten program.
A three-judge panel of the Court of Appeals ruled unanimously last week against the state, which argued that a Superior Court judge went too far in throwing out legislative changes last year to the prekindergarten program.
Those changes included limits on the number of children considered at-risk that could be served and required some co-payments for the free program.
Appeals Court Judge Rick Elmore wrote that the state misinterpreted the order to mean legislators must provide prekindergarten to all at-risk 4-year-olds in North Carolina. He said the order was about eliminating artificial barriers to program entry.
