A group of parents and charter school leaders have filed suit against the Whitehall-Coplay School District, seeking to restore yellow school bus service for charter school students age 12 and over.
A hearing is expected Sept. 29 in Harrisburg in Commonwealth Court.
The six charter schools involved in the lawsuit are Executive Education Academy Charter School, Lehigh Valley Academy Regional Charter School, Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the Arts, Lehigh Valley Dual Language Charter School, Roberto Clemente Charter School and Seven Generations Charter School. Six parents have also signed on. Their children attend Charter Arts, Executive Education Academy and LVA.
None of the charter schools are located in Whitehall-Coplay School District boundaries. The school board in 2024 rejected an application for a Whitehall charter school amid financial and curriculum concerns.
A statement from the charter school leaders involved in the lawsuit said requiring charter school students who reside in the district to use public buses through LANTA, while continuing to provide yellow school buses for district students and students attending private and religious schools, meant charter school students are being “forced to use an inferior form of transportation simply because their families exercised their right to choose a public charter school.”
Difficulties charter school families face now include “significantly longer commutes, multiple transfers, long walks to and from public bus stops, hazardous routes, unsheltered waiting areas, busy roadway crossings, and other safety concerns that simply do not exist with dedicated yellow school bus transportation,” the statement said.
Whitehall-Coplay School District officials said they cannot comment on active litigation.
The school board voted 8-1 in June to eliminate yellow school bus services for older charter school students, sparking parent complaints at subsequent board meetings. A recent state Supreme Court case ruled school districts can end bus service for charter students if alternative free transportation is provided.
Other districts that rely on public transportation for charter school students include Allentown School District.
Whitehall-Coplay’s 2026-27 budget featured a tax increase and staffing cuts. The district announced at an August meeting that charter school transportation costs $300,000 a year, and school board President William Fonzone Sr. said changing bus policy would bring savings.