There was no debate, barely a mention made in 1993 when the Missouri legislature voted to remove ten little words from a state statute that set the rules for public school enrollment:

"... but no school shall be required to admit any pupil."

Of no apparent consequence at the time, those deleted words have now emerged as a major concern among public school officials in St. Louis City and County. They want the words reinserted, returning the statute to how it read originally, and they've made it a priority to see that it's done during the current legislative session.

At stake is a school district's authority to turn away pupils who may flee unaccredited school districts -- St. Louis and Riverview Gardens, for example -- to enroll in accredited schools throughout St. Louis County.

The Webster Groves School District is just one of several districts to have organized to prevent mandated, non-resident enrollment. Webster has established a Legislative Advocacy Committee -- comprised of area mayors, state legislators, educators and citizens -- to advocate for state legislation allowing accredited school districts local authority in determining enrollment.

Webster Groves School District Superintendent Sarah Riss will present a power-point presentation at an open meeting of the committee on Monday, Feb. 14, beginning at 7 p.m in the district board room, 400 E. Lockwood Ave.

Riss said that in addition to St. Louis Public Schools and Riverview Gardens, there are currently 10 other St. Louis County School Districts facing accreditation problems.

Jane Turner vs. The School District Of Clayton

The issue of whether accredited schools are required by state law to accept students from unaccredited districts surfaced last summer when the Missouri Supreme Court sided with plaintiff families in the case of Jane Turner vs. the School District of Clayton."

The suit was filed by four St. Louis City School District parents who had worked out a pay agreement to send their children to Clayton for the 2007-2008 school year. Subsequently, however, St. Louis Public Schools lost its accreditation.

As a result, families claimed that an unaccredited "transitional" district was obligated to foot the bill for their childrens' education in Clayton. When the Clayton School District declined to bill St. Louis Public Schools, the families took the matter to court.

In the summer of 2010, the Missouri Supreme Court overturned an earlier summary judgment in favor of the Clayton School District. The Supreme Court stated that accredited schools districts have no discretion in enrolling students from neighboring, unaccredited school districts.

Part of that decision was the result of the 1993 omission: "No school shall be required to admit any pupil."

"To put that in practical terms, the court said that school districts like Clayton must accept every student applying to transfer from an unaccredited school district regardless of whether there is space available," wrote Clayton School District Superintendent Mary B. Herrmann, in a November 2010 letter to district parents.

And while the unaccredited school district must fund a student's education in a neighboring district, it is unclear whether that tuition would be funded in part, or in full.

The Supreme Court's July 16, 2010 opinion remanded the case back to St. Louis County Circuit Court for further proceedings. Currently, the case is stayed until further order with no trial date set.

Educators in transitional school districts argue that if the Clayton School District loses in the circuit court, the decision could force unaccredited school districts to fund a "mass exodus of its students" to neighboring districts. Accredited districts, in turn, may have to open their doors when non-resident students come knocking.

"The resulting financial devastation would make it virtually impossible for the (Riverview Gardens) District to operate, much less regain accreditation," states a brief filed by attorneys for the Riverview Gardens School District.

Resolve It In The Legislature

Public school officials in both St. Louis County and the City of St. Louis are pushing to have the matter resolved by the Missouri General Assembly -- restoring those 10 little words to allow school districts discretion in accepting non-resident students. The goal is to have legislation in place before the Circuit Court acts on the matter.

Riss said that Webster Groves already accepts students from outside of the district. She said forcing the district to do so, however, could result in crowded schools and financial hardships if new student tuitions are not paid for in full.