Appeals court backs Fort Wayne high school closing

FORT WAYNE, Ind. — The Indiana Court of Appeals has agreed with a judge's dismissal of a lawsuit challenging the closing of a Fort Wayne high school.

The appeals court's ruling released Thursday is another setback to those who have been fighting the decision by Fort Wayne Community Schools officials last year to close Elmhurst High School.

The Journal Gazette reports the court says that arguments from Elmhurst supporters are negated by a previous Indiana Supreme Court ruling that the state constitution doesn't require government to meet any standard of educational quality.

A St. Joseph County judge hearing the case dismissed the lawsuit in November.

The Fort Wayne school board approved closing the 900-student high school as part of $15 million in spending cuts.