Lawsuit Seeks To Obliterate Admissions Processes At NYC Public Schools
arrow Students wait with parents before entering school for the first day of in-person learning for elementary school students since March, at P.S. 188 in NYC on September 29th, 2020. JUSTIN LANE/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
A group of civil rights lawyers and NYC public school students are suing the city and state over the DOE s admissions process, which they say has resulted in an inequitable education for Black and brown students, starting as early as kindergarten.
The lawsuit filed in State Supreme Court Tuesday by IntegrateNYC, a group devoted to ending school segregation, names Mayor Bill de Blasio, Governor Andrew Cuomo, and incoming Schools Chancellor Meisha Porter in the suit, alleging the long-standing admissions process, which includes the Gifted and Talented program test, screens for some middle and high schools, and the Specialized High Schools Admissions Test, violates the State
Dimitri Rodriguez
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S.F. s Lowell isn t the only selective school to come under fire. Here s a look at others across U.S.
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1of2Lowell High School is seen in San Francisco, Calif. on Monday, Feb 1, 2021. An effort to address a lack of diversity and address concerns over racist incidents led to the school board’s abrupt proposal this week to eliminate the selective admissions process in favor of a random lottery like the district’s other high schools.Marlena Sloss / Special to The ChronicleShow MoreShow Less
2of2Lowell High School is seen in San Francisco, Calif. on Monday, Feb 1, 2021. An effort to address a lack of diversity and address concerns over racist incidents led to the school board’s abrupt proposal this week to eliminate the selective admissions process in favor of a random lottery like the district’s other high schools.Marlena Sloss / Special to The ChronicleShow MoreShow Less
Mayor de Blasio and Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza announced sweeping changes to the middle and high school admissions process last Friday, a decision they said goes beyond the racial impacts of the current health crisis to try to address longstanding inequities in the way schools are funded.
De Blasio announced that starting now, middle schools will implement a one-year pause on admissions screens. The Department of Education will also roll out several changes to the high schools admissions process over the next two years.
âI like to say very bluntly, our mission is to redistribute wealth. A lot of people bristle at that phrase â that is in fact the phrase we need to use. We have been doing this work for seven years to more equitably redistribute resources throughout our school system,â de Blasio said at a press event Monday.