North Carolina Supreme Court Agrees to Hear Leandro Appeal

The Supreme Court of North Carolina has agreed to take a direct appeal of the trial court's decision in favor of plaintiffs, in Leandro v. State, thus bypassing the intermediate appeals court. In 1997, the supreme court rewarded this "adequacy" case for trial and held that the state constitution guarantees all children the opportunity to a "sound basic education."

In April 2002, Judge Howard Manning of the trial court ordered the state to ensure that "at-risk" students are given competent teachers "with high expectations," sufficient funding, and early intervention. As part of this order, he mandated pre-kindergarten for "at-risk" four-year-olds. At the time of the decision, the state decided not to seek a stay but, rather, pursued an expedited appeal. Plaintiffs briefs are due to the court April 24, and oral arguments are scheduled for September 2003.

Prepared March 31, 2003