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Via: defendernetworks.com

The parents of 13 students with disabilities say there was no warning or due process when the state closed down their charter school.

The concerned parents of students from Benji’s Special Educational Academy arrived by bus last Thursday morning to the federal courthouse in downtown Houston.

While the parents say they are determined to keep the school open, the judge hearing the case said the dispute may not even belong in a federal courthouse. Judge Keith Ellison is expected to make a ruling on the case later Thursday.

The hearing ended Thursday afternoon.

Former Houston city attorney Arturo Michel is representing the board that oversees the school.

Parents were left with little options after the school closed and they were not given proper notification, according to a statement released by a spokesman.

“The lawsuit, filed by 13 parents of disabled students of Benjis Special Educational Academy, maintains that the decision by the Texas Education Agency and its Commissioner to close Benjis violates the rights of students with disabilities,” said the statement. “We will continue to fight to keep the doors open for special needs children of Northeast Houston.”

Lawyers for the state, however, say the school and parents were the ones not following due process.

Judge Ellison said Thursday while the state handled the school’s closure abruptly, he may have no say in the matter.

At one point during Thursday morning’s hearing, Judge Ellison left the bench saying he had to confer with his colleagues.

http://www.myfoxhouston.com