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York School Board meets behind closed doors to discuss next move

The York City School board met behind closed doors tonight to discuss its next move after the state filed a petition Monday to put the district into receivershi...

The York City School board met behind closed doors tonight to discuss its next move after the state filed a petition Monday to put the district into receivership. It’s a move that would essentially strip the board of its power. A spokesman for the Department of Education told FOX43 it’s the first step towards moving the district to all charter schools.

At the closed door meeting the board's lawyers went over what will happen at a court hearing later this week. And one local lawmaker suggests in the next week the board may take legal action against the state.

The state's decision to try to place York Schools into receivership was a surprise for many people who are against going full-charter. If a court approves the petition, the school board would be stripped of its power and decisions would be left up to Chief Recovery Officer, David Meckley. Last month, Representative Kevin Schreiber wrote a letter to the Corbett Administration asking it not to petition for receivership.

"It certainly is easy to suggest this is politically motivated and it should not be," says Representative Schreiber.

In a statement, two of York County's Republican Representatives said they support Meckley becoming the receiver, hoping he'll put the district on a better path. But, Schreiber wanted to wait until Governor-Elect Tom Wolf takes office before any substantial decision was made.

"This is a decision that may not be able to be undone or if it is it may be very difficult to do that and messy," says Rep. Schreiber.

Later this week, a York County judge will hold a hearing about this issue. After that, the judge has 10 days to accept or deny the petition to place the district in receivership. Representative Schreiber says he expects the school board to file a lawsuit to try to stop all of this from happening. It's unclear what Governor-Elect Wolf will do. His press secretary says, "Gov.-elect Wolf believes these types of decisions should not be made until he takes office and has the opportunity to analyze the issue.

York school officials would not comment on camera after Tuesday night's executive session. A hearing is scheduled for Thursday afternoon. The Department of Education tells FOX43 if the judge approves the petition, Meckley is expected to sign an agreement with Charter Schools USA shortly after.

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