Friday, November 19, 2021
Judge rules in favor of Hasidic families in busing dispute with Washingtonville schools
Hasidic families in Blooming Grove won a court victory on Thursday when a judge ruled that Washingtonville School District must bus their children to their religious schools on days when they are open but the public schools are closed.
State Supreme Court Justice Peter Lynch of Albany ruled that the district had failed to meet its transportation obligation under state law by providing busing to nonpublic school students only on days when its own schools were open.
Lynch also went further by invalidating the state guidelines Washingtonville followed in refusing to provide transportation when its schools were closed. That decision could affect transportation practices or future court cases in other districts with large numbers of children attending religious schools.
The ruling resulted from a lawsuit filed in July by the United Jewish Community of Blooming Grove, a group representing several hundred Hasidic families who have moved to the village of South Blooming Grove and nearby in recent years. The group's leaders had demanded busing to Hasidic schools in and around the neighboring village of Kiryas Joel on 20 days this school year when Washingtonville is closed.
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