Residents Sue Farmington Public Schools Over Eagle Sale

Two Farmington school district residents have sued the district over the sale of Eagle Elementary School to the Islamic Cultural Association in June.

The suit was filed in July by attorney Robert Charles Davis represents Eugene Greenstein of Farmington Hills and Melvin C. Sternfeld of West Bloomfield, according to a report published Aug. 10 in Farmington Press.

Farmington Public Schools released this statement from Assistant Supt. David Ruhland:

“On July 29th, a lawsuit was filed by two Farmington area residents challenging the sale of the site of Eagle Elementary school. The suit alleges that in acting to authorize the sale, the Board of Education failed to follow board policies and procedures of the district. While the matter has been referred to legal counsel for handling, the District is confident that all of the appropriate steps were taken in the handling of the offer to purchase.

"More importantly, the handling of the offer of purchase was done in a manner that honored the fiduciary duties of the board and kept the interests of the school district and the community at the forefront. It is unfortunate that the sale is being challenged, but the Board believes that the legal process will support the decision to sell.”

Officials approved the sale at a contentious school board meeting on June 14. At the time, Joseph Fazio, an attorney representing the school district explained the offer from the Islamic Cultural Assocation (ICA) to purchase the closed school, located in the northwest corner of 14 Mile and Middlebelt Roads, in January of 2011. After months of discussions, the ICA offered to purchase the building for the appraised price of $1.1 million, he said.

At the meeting, Fazio confirmed the district had complied with its internal policies regarding the sale, and that the district had no obligation to conduct an impact study or to inform the public, with the exception of presenting the sale for approval at a public meeting.

Farmington-Farmington Hills Patch was unable to reach the litigants or their attorney for comment.