Victory on Highly Selective School Diversity!

JOINT STATEMENT IN RESPONSE TO VICTORY IN TODAY’S RULING RELATIVE TO THE BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Thursday, April 15, 2021

The Boston Branch of the NAACP, The Greater Boston Latino Network, Asian Pacific Islander Civic Action Network, Asian American Resource Workshop, Anti-Defamation League of New England, and the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute, who are intervenors or amici on the lawsuit, released the following statement:

“This ruling is a victory for students and families across Boston. Over the past year, the COVID-19 pandemic has revealed deep inequities in our education system, and created unprecedented and unforeseen challenges for students, educators, school leaders, and families. The admissions criteria that were the subject of this lawsuit were designed thoughtfully and intentionally to respond to this crisis in a way that is fair to all of our students. By upholding them, Judge Young has helped ensure that every student in Boston, despite the pandemic, will have the chance to attend some of the most selective schools in our city. We look forward to continuing our multi-racial coalition work with Boston Public School leaders, educators, students, and families to ensure that this policy is implemented with integrity and transparency. Sidley Austin LLP, Lawyers for Civil Rights, Mintz, and Greater Boston Legal Services are serving as pro bono counsel to the intervening organizations and families. 

A copy of today’s decision can be found here.

Decision-on-Highly-Selective-Schools