Hundreds protest Ga. charter school ruling

ATLANTA – Hundreds of Georgia charter school parents, students and school administrators are protesting a ruling by the state's highest court that overturned a law allowing the creation of state-approved charters.

More than 400 people gathered at the state Capitol on Tuesday to share their fears about what will happen to the 15,000 students enrolled in the 16 charter schools affected by the ruling.

A day earlier, the Georgia Supreme Court overturned a law that created the Georgia Charter School Commission.

The law allowed the state to approve and fund charter schools over the objection of local school boards. The high court concluded that only local boards of education have the power to open and pay for public schools.

The ruling does not affect the 65,000 students attending charter schools approved by their local school districts.