Lawsuit accuses Massachusetts schools of segregating students of color in low-opportunity districts

A lawsuit filed in Massachusetts alleges the state illegally maintains racially segregated schools. The complaint says Black and Latino students are concentrated in high-poverty districts with fewer opportunities. The lawsuit challenges student assignment practices that rely solely on where students live, arguing that this approach reproduces patterns of housing segregation within school systems. The plaintiffs include nine students and four community organizations from segregated districts in Springfield, Holyoke, Boston, Lawrence, Brockton, Lynn, and Worcester. The districts border more affluent, predominantly white districts where the plaintiffs cannot enroll. The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education responds that it lacks authority to change district boundaries or compel cross-district enrollment, and says it has invested in reducing graduation-rate gaps and seeks additional investments for high-poverty districts.

"A lawsuit filed Wednesday on behalf of students and community organizations in Massachusetts argues the state is illegally maintaining schools that are racially segregated, concentrating Black and Latino students in high-poverty districts with fewer opportunities. The lawsuit challenges the state's practice of assigning students to schools based solely on where they live, which can lead to patterns of housing segregation being replicated in school systems."

"The plaintiffs include nine students and four community organizations from segregated school districts across Massachusetts, including Springfield, Holyoke, Boston, Lawrence, Brockton, Lynn, and Worcester. The districts border more affluent, predominantly white districts where the plaintiffs are unable to enroll."

"In response to the lawsuit, the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education said it does not have the authority to change school district boundaries, nor the power to compel schools to allow students from other districts to enroll. It said in a written statement the state has invested in efforts to reduce gaps in graduation rates, and sought additional investments for high-poverty districts."

Read at Boston.com