Our latest accomplishments

Civil Rights Groups on Charter Cap Lawsuit Dismissal: Stop Pitting Schools Against Each Other →

Civil Rights Groups’ Statement on Supreme Judicial Court’s Dismissal of Doe v. Peyser It is time for Massachusetts to stop pitting schools against each other and improve the educations of our most vulnerable youth in all schools. Today, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) affirmed the dismissal of Doe v....

Boston Civil Rights and Educator Groups Call for Greater Teacher Diversity →

Boston Civil Rights and Educator Groups Call for Greater Teacher Diversity Boston – a group of leading Asian American, Black, and Latino educator and civil rights groups, together with the Boston Teachers Union, released Broken Promises, a call for greater teacher diversity in Boston Public Schools (BPS).   The paper highlights research on the...

Public School Students, NAACP Present Argument to Supreme Judicial Court in Charter Cap Case →

Monday, October 2nd - When the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court held oral argument on the appeal of Doe v. Peyser, a lawsuit that sought to declare Massachusetts’ cap on charter schools unconstitutional, it heard from public school students and civil rights and education justice organizations who successfully argued for the...

Mystic Valley Charter School Drops Ban on Hair Extensions →

The Lawyers' Committee, together with the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, the ACLU of Massachusetts, and pro bono partners at Latham & Watkins, represent Mya and Deanna Cook, Black twin girls who had been subjected to detentions and suspensions at Mystic Valley Charter School for wearing hair extensions. As a step in the...

Justice Department Challenges Diversity at Harvard →

Our response to the Justice Department's recent opposition to affirmative action and diversity in higher education featured in the Boston Globe: If Jeff Sessions believes in so-called states’ rights, he can start by respecting states’ efforts to promote diversity in their own colleges. That’s what the Supreme Court did again...

Boston Globe Calls for Action on Exam School Diversity →

The Boston Globe Editorial Board calls for "more urgency" in closing Boston Latin’s diversity gap, citing the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights and Economic Justice: “There is simply nothing meritorious about a public school admissions policy that favors those who can pay for private test preparation,” said Matt Cregor, the...

Response to Racial Discrimination at Mystic Valley Charter School →

On May 12, the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights and Economic Justice learned that Mystic Valley Charter School is disciplining of African-American schoolgirls for wearing braids. Today, we sent a letter in response to the school's discriminatory policy. We do so for three reasons: First, the parents in today’s article...

Incoming Exam School Classes Fail to Reflect Boston’s Diversity, Especially at Boston Latin School →

Incoming Exam School Classes Fail to Reflect Boston’s Diversity, Especially at Boston Latin School Civil Rights Groups Call for Citywide Review of Exam School Admissions May 9, 2017 Boston, MA: Admissions data for Boston’s incoming exam school classes show that the troubling trend of under-enrollment of African Americans and Latinos...

AERA Centennial Lecture Focuses on Racial Disparities in School Discipline, Solutions →

On April 12th, the American Educational Research Association (AERA) dedicated one of its Centennial Lectures to addressing racial disparities in school discipline.  Dr. Russ Skiba, whose research on this subject has significantly shaped efforts to counter the School-to-Prison Pipeline, delivered the lecture.  Matt Cregor, LCCR's Education Project Director, served as commentator....

As School Discipline Disparities Rise, LCCR Releases Toolkit for Families and Educators to Improve Discipline →

According to new data released by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, one-year after implementing Massachusetts' new school discipline law, out-of-school suspension rates are climbing slightly, but especially for students of color, English Language Learners, and Students with Disabilities. The Enterprise: "Racial Disparity Remains in School Suspension Rates" ...

Statement: U.S. Attorney Finds Boston Latin School Violated Federal Civil Rights Law →

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                      SEPTEMBER 26, 2016 Civil Rights Groups’ Statement on Finding by U.S. Attorney that Boston Latin School Violated Federal Civil Rights Law Groups Behind Federal Complaint Urge City to Use Agreement to Improve the Racial Climate of Every Boston School Boston, MA: Today, U.S. Attorney Carmen Ortiz found...

Lawyers’ Committee Investigating Amherst-Pelham’s Treatment of Parent Challenging Racial Harassment →

The Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights and Economic Justice has sent a public and student records request to the Amherst-Pelham Regional School District regarding the treatment a mother and her daughter received from the district this past school year. Specifically, the Lawyers' Committee is requesting information on the district's use...

Boston Public Schools’ Report Highlights Racial Bias at Boston Latin School →

Boston Public Schools’ Report Highlights Racial Bias at Boston Latin School The Boston Public Schools’ Office of Equity released the findings of its second round of investigation into the racial climate at Boston Latin School.  The breadth of this investigation is commendable, covering over 100 reported incidents of identity-based bias...

Lawyers’ Commitee Statement on Fisher II Victory in U.S. Supreme Court →

  Today, in Fisher v. University of Texas II, the U.S. Supreme Court once again affirmed the importance of racial diversity in our colleges and classrooms. In its second review of the case in three years, the Court had every opportunity to strike down the University’s race-conscious admissions policy. Instead,...

Forum: Black in Boston Public Schools – June 11th →

The Lawyers' Committee is proud to join a host of civil rights and religious groups in co-sponsoring the BLACK IN BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS forum on Saturday, June 11th (9am-2pm) at Greater Love.

In Globe Letter, LCCR Voices Support for Students’ School-Funding Protest →

In response to a Globe editorial, "An incomplete lesson for BPS students," the Lawyers' Committee submitted the following letter, published on Saturday, May 28, noting that students' peaceful protest against school budget cuts should not be dismissed so easily by the paper: RATHER THAN address the concerns raised by a multiracial...

Court to Hear Argument in Charter Cap Lawsuit →

  COURT TO HEAR ARGUMENT IN CHARTER CAP LAWSUIT    NAACP, Students of Color, Students with Disabilities, and English Language Learners Seek to Intervene Boston, MA – On Friday, April 8th, traditional public school students and the New England Area Conference of the NAACP will argue for their right to...

Lawyers’ Committee Moves to Intervene in Charter Cap Case on Behalf of Students of Color, Students with Disabilities, and English Language Learners →

Boston, MA – Students of color, students with disabilities, and English language learners, together with the New England Area Conference of the NAACP, moved today to intervene in the pending litigation over the cap on charter schools, arguing that the cap is necessary to preserve educational opportunities for students in...

Older posts