BOSTON (WHDH) - A coalition of civil rights groups praised a federal court ruling that upholds a new admissions policy for Boston’s three highly competitive exam schools — Boston Latin, Boston Latin Academy and O’Bryant School of Math and Science.
“Decades after the Brown v. Board of Education decision, we continue to fight to help ensure that every child in our city is able to receive a high-quality public education,” said Boston’s NAACP President Tanisha Sullivan.
The legal fight began when the Boston School Committee dropped the entrance exam because of COVID-19 and instituted a new policy that uses zip codes as one of the admission factors.
In an effort to stop that new policy, the Boston Parent Coalition For Academic Excellence representing 14 white and Asian American parents sued the school committee alleging racial discrimination.
But, a federal court upheld the new policy saying:
“This court finds and rules that the plan is race-neutral…”
Attorneys for the Parent coalition are now taking their case to the U-S Circuit Court of Appeals. One step below the U.S. Supreme Court.
Referring to the new plan attorneys for the Boston Parent Coalition For Academic Excellence argue, “This is racial balancing, and it is unconstitutional.”
The civil rights groups say they’re ready to fight the appeal. They say this case is historic and will have national implications.
“This will set a strong precedent that racial justice interventions in the education and other areas are perfectly constitutionally permissible and that they should be actively explored,” said Civil Right lawyer Ivan Espinoza-Madrigal.
The zip code policy is only in place for one year.
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