TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) - Despite emotional testimony during a three-hour long court hearing, a Tallahassee judge is letting stand for now a state law that prevents some school children from being promoted to the fourth grade.
Circuit Judge Karen Gievers said she didn't like the situation but explained that she had to give school districts time to respond to a lawsuit filed this week on behalf of parents from seven counties. Gievers, however, said she may rule by the end of next week.
The families say their children were held back in the third grade because they refused to take the state's high-stakes standardized tests. The lawsuit states that the children should have been promoted because they got good grades and demonstrated they could read at grade level.
School districts and state officials defended the third-grade retentions and even disputed the academic performance of some of the children.
(Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
8/12/2016 5:59:37 PM (GMT -4:00)
