Kleinbard attorneys Mark Seiberling, Samantha Zimmer, and Patrick Feeney secured an important victory on behalf of six Lehigh Valley-area charter schools and the parents and students they represented in litigation challenging the Whitehall-Coplay School District’s decision to discontinue school bus transportation for charter school students age 12 and older.
The lawsuit challenged the District’s decision to eliminate transportation for these students as a cost-saving measure, alleging that the policy unlawfully treated charter school students differently from other similarly situated students and violated the Equal Protection and Education Clauses of the Pennsylvania Constitution.
Following an expedited three-day hearing, the Commonwealth Court granted relief to the charter schools, parents, and students and ordered the District to reinstate school bus transportation for the affected charter school students. The ruling provided immediate, meaningful relief to the families impacted by the policy, with District-provided transportation reinstated effective October 5, 2026.
The result ensures that affected charter school students once again have access to District-provided transportation to and from school while the litigation proceeds.
For more information on the case, click here.
