School District Can’t Eliminate 6th Grades

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Miriam Vogel ruled Friday that the Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District cannot eliminate the sixth grade at two elementary schools and allow fifth-graders to transfer to the school of their choice next fall.

The district wanted to close sixth-grade classes at Mira Catalina and Rancho Vista elementary schools, allowing the students to attend either Ridgecrest or Malaga Cove intermediate schools or Miraleste High School, where a sixth grade would have been created. The judge said the plan conflicts with her 1988 ruling barring the district from making changes until an environmental impact report is completed.