A central Pennsylvania district says it is appealing a court ruling allowing refugee students to attend the local high school rather than an alternative school.
Six refugee students from war-torn countries sued the Lancaster district in July over their placement at Phoenix Academy, saying language barriers made it impossible to learn there. District officials say the accelerated program is better suited to them than the larger and more traditional high school.
But a federal judge late last month ordered the district to let the students enroll at the regular high school if they chose to do so, to provide instruction allowing them to become proficient in English, and to ensure access for them to all curricular and noncurricular programs and activities.
