Rick Karlin is reporting for the Times Union attorneys for religious and independent schools across New York have taken legal action in opposition to the state Education Department's latest efforts at academic oversight. Representatives were in State Supreme Court Justice Christina Ryba's courtroom April 15, seeking an injunction to immediately stop the new substantial equivalency rules that require surveys by local school boards of non-public schools within their boundaries. The attorneys argued questions of bureaucratic protocol, whether the policy would harm the private schools, and separation of church and state as reasons why the program should be halted. C. Harris Dague, the special counsel in the Attorney General’s litigation bureau, countered that no injunction is needed since the new guidelines will play out over time. He also argued that church-state separation doesn’t void the state’s oversight on education matters. Ryba said she would consider the request for an injunction, but provided no firm timeline. Read the full story in the Times Union.