Monday, September 01, 2008

STI Fraud Suit against KDE Dismissed

This from the Winchester Sun:

Software company loses suit against state Web-based data system
piloted in Clark, surrounding counties

A Franklin County judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by Software Technology Inc., which alleged the state Department of Education “engaged in fraud, misrepresentation and unlawful acts” when it replaced the company’s program with a Web-based records keeping system.

Last year the state adopted Infinite Campus — a Web-based program that was piloted in Clark County before going statewide.

Clark County administrators reported in May that there had been widespread technical difficulties in tracking student attendance and making the switch from STI, which operated in Clark County for 10 years.

Nearby Fayette County and Paris Independent were also among the 16 school districts to give the system a trial run. None of the pilot districts were involved in the lawsuit.

Software Technology Inc. filed suit last August against the Kentucky Department of Education and others, claiming that the Department of Education and Jefferson County Public Schools made a “secret unlawful pact” to keep STI from being awarded the contract to continue to run the statewide student information system.

Judge Phillip Shepherd ruled last week that STI had “failed to produce any evidence that would warrant a judgment in its favor at trial,” and that state officials had “acted in good faith” in choosing the Infinite Campus bid.

In May, Clark County administrators said they planned to launch a parent portal through Infinite Campus this fall, which would give parents access to their children’s information from any computer with an Internet connection.

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