A new U.S. Supreme Court ruling was causing some trouble for St. John’s school and the city of Lawrence. By law, St. John’s students were required to receive special education and Chapter I reading and math services at Lawrence schools. However, the new ruling prohibited public schools from going on site to parochial schools to provide service. The Lawrence school district was required to continue providing the service, but had to bus students to a public school or take them to a rented building that was “religiously neutral.” Six Lawrence teachers had been going to St. John’s to provide services for the previous seven or eight years, according to principal Sister Phyllis Stowell. Providing bus service to a Lawrence public school was the most costly and time-consuming of the alternatives. St. John’s was considering a nearby duplex as a “religiously neutral” site.