Pedro Garcia vs. a Few Good Kids (Updated)

It looks like lawyers at the blue-chip law firm Bass, Berry & Sims won't have to take legal action against the Metro school system after all because the schools' leadership has backed off a demand to force a group of 5th and 6th grade students at the KIPP Academy charter school in East Nashville to return to their zoned schools—fully two months into their school year.

The KIPP students began their school year in June—the charter school has a longer school year, longer hours and requires parents to sign contracts agreeing to make sure their children complete homework—at which point the schools these kids were zoned for were listed on the state's "failing" schools list. As a matter of state law, students zoned for such underperforming schools are allowed to attend charters.

Metro schools director Pedro Garcia & Co. notified KIPP last week that because Bailey, Gra-Mar and JFK came off that list after the latest round of failing schools was released—well into the KIPP school year—students who would normally attend those schools must be yanked out of the charter school, whose focus is rigorous instruction, discipline and emphasis on teamwork and college preparation. Initially, the school system identified 17 students who must leave by a deadline of tomorrow. That number was revised to 14, then to 11 and finally to 9.