Judge reverses ruling, orders Clay High offered to charter school

A St. Joseph County judge ruled that South Bend Community School Corp. must make the former Clay High School available to Career Academy for lease or purchase, reversing a February decision that let the district retain control. The dispute centers on Indiana law requiring public schools to offer certain unused buildings to charter schools, and on whether the district’s continued educational use of Clay—including career and technical education programs—means the building was still in use. The latest ruling reinstates the state’s decision favoring Career Academy; the judge said missed state deadlines did not automatically remove the state’s authority to act. The order takes effect once final and no longer appealable, and the district says it is reviewing its options. Portage Township Trustee Jason Critchlow urged officials to treat the building as a public resource that should benefit students across the South Bend community.