The State Supreme Court today ruled against the Department of Education’s plan for development and use of the playing fields on Randall’s Island, long used for public school sports.  The city, in partnership with the Randall’s Island Sports Foundation, brokered a deal with 20 private schools to upgrade and expand the fields.  In exchange for hefty contributions towards the redevelopment project, the private schools would have a 20 year lease for the exclusive use of the majority of the area during school hours. According to the State Supreme court the city’s plan is illegal, and must go through full community and environmental review.

Community groups from East Harlem and South Bronx, park advocates, public schools parents, and Civil Rights Attorney Norman Siegel, returned the case to court after a previous ruling (February 2008) wasignored by the city. According to Leonie Haimson of Class Size Matters, who reported on the ruling, “The judge was so angry at the city's failure to respect the previous court decisino in the case that she ordered the city to pay court costs and attorney fees."  

Reporting the original case in 2008, The New York Times said, "The ruling means that the Bloomberg administration must essentially start from scratch by submitting its deal with the private schools, which include Buckley, Dalton and Chapin, through the Uniform Land Use Review Process. That process requires major projects to be approved by the City Planning Commission and the City Council, and to be reviewed by the local community board and the borough president. The agreement had been approved by the city's Franchise and Concession Review Committee, a majority of whose members were appointed by Mr. Bloomberg."