JEFFERSON CITY—State Sen. Gina Walsh, D-Bellefontaine Neighbors, issued the following statement in regards to the recent decision by the Riverview Gardens School District to select Mehlville as the transferring district for which it will cover transportation costs for student transfers:

“Under current Missouri law, a student in an unaccredited district may transfer to an accredited district in an adjacent county. Students can choose any of those schools, with the home district covering the costs of tuition. However, the home district must designate a specific district for which it will also pay transportation costs.

On Tuesday night, the Riverview Gardens administrative board chose Mehlville as the district to which it will cover transportation costs for students who wish to transfer out of the unaccredited district. As those of us familiar with the area know, this district is approximately 20 miles away from the Riverview Gardens area, creating a significant burden on students and their families. Why the board did not choose one of the many quality schools in the North St. Louis County area is beyond me.

The only thing more disappointing than this decision is the continuing lack of action on the part of the Legislature to deal with what is not a new issue. My colleagues in the General Assembly have long known the difficulties the school transfer law will pose to students and districts. They have long known about the failure of a handful of schools to regain accreditation. And although members of the majority party regularly express the utmost concern with providing our children a quality education, the bulk of our time in session is spent debating frivolous bills that address no particular problem, such as the so-called “danger” of Sharia law, or measures that overwhelmingly benefit the wealthiest citizens and businesses.

Bromides and empty sentiments sound nice, but what the parents of our state need is action. We had yet another opportunity in 2013 to address this problem; the majority party did nothing, and any attempts by the minority caucus to resolve it were summarily buried in committee. This is unacceptable.

Regardless of how people feel about the state Supreme Court’s decision, now that the decision has been made, school officials should work to provide the best transition possible for parents and students.  Every child in Missouri has a right to the best education we can provide them. Our children’s future is the future of our state. We must do everything in our power to give them the brightest one we can. I will remain a staunch advocate of all Missouri parents and children and will use all the powers of my elected office to see that no more students are robbed of their chance at a prosperous future.”