Hong Kong education authorities will not process “at this stage” an application by a US-based church to set up a new international school to replace a top institution being sued for allegedly only serving the “rich”, due to the ongoing legal proceedings.

The Education Bureau on Friday told the Post that it had already received the application from the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod (LCMS) to establish a new school.

The church has threatened to evict Hong Kong International School (HKIS), which it co-founded in 1966, from its Repulse Bay campus, as part of the lawsuit.

The church has threatened to evict the school, which it co-founded in 1966, as part of the lawsuit.

“Due to the ongoing legal proceedings, the Education Bureau at this stage will not handle the application in question or comment on the incident,” a bureau spokeswoman said.

LCMS dropped a bombshell on Wednesday when it announced it was suing the operator of HKIS, accusing the institution of serving only the “rich and privileged few” and amassing excessive financial reserves.