The Utah Supreme Court has upheld a lower-court ruling in favor of the Salt Lake School District's 1988 decision to realign school boundaries after the closure of South High.
The new boundaries set for East, West and Highland high schools caused an uproar among some parents who believed their children were being forced to transfer to a less-desirable school.In an opinion released Thursday, justices affirmed 3rd District Judge Scott Daniels' summary judgment rejecting arguments the school board violated the state Constitution and exceeded its statutory authority.
The appeal, filed on behalf of parents whose children were affected by the new boundaries, said even if the board had been acting within the bounds of the law, the setting of the boundaries was an arbitrary and capricious decision.
"Appellants' claim that the realignment decision was arbitrary and capricious is meritless. The board's decision was a thoughtful and deliberate one," Justice Christine Durham wrote for the court.
School board members' decision to close one of the district's four high schools was made in 1987. But their first choice, South High, remained open the following school year while a citizens' committee reviewed their decision.