Croydon School Board Chairwoman Jody Underwood said the board plans to challenge the Education Department's decision because some students find private schools to be a better fit for them than their public counterparts.

"Some kids will do better in Montessori than Newport Public Schools," Underwood said. "That's why we're fighting. It's about the children."

The Department of Education sent a letter to SAU 43 Superintendent Cindy Gallagher in February informing her that state law doesn't support Croydon's practice of using taxpayer funds to send children to private schools.

The state allowed the four students — who attend the Montessori School in Newport and Kimball Union Academy in Meriden — to stay there for the rest of the year. But in the future, the school could receive less state funding as a sanction for violating state law.