Parent group appealing exam school ruling
Insist new admission policy is unfair to kids
A Boston parent group that lost a lawsuit claiming a new exam school admissions policy was discriminatory has said it will appeal the recent decision made by a federal judge.
Judge William Young ruled late Thursday that a temporary exam schools admissions policy spurred by the pandemic that relies on student performance, ZIP codes and GPA or MCAS results instead of an entrance exam does not discriminate against any students.
“This Court finds and rules that the Plan is race-neutral, and that neither the factors used nor the goal of greater diversity qualify as a racial classification,” Young wrote in his decision.
The plaintiffs, Boston Parent Coalition for Academic Excellence, had argued the admissions policy was “wholly irrational” and took seats away from deserving kids.
“We respectfully disagree with the court’s decision, and we are going to appeal. We will make details available as the case progresses,” the parent group said in a statement.
The coalition had asked the court to prevent admissions decisions from being made under the new system and to prohibit the district from using a ZIP code system as a factor in future admissions decisions.
But community advocates and intervenors in the case celebrated the court’s decision in a Friday morning press conference.
“This is indeed a historic moment that will surely have national implications. It is celebrated this morning across the country by those of us who have been in this fight for educational equity for quite some time,” said Tanisha Sullivan, president of the Boston branch of the NAACP.
Ivan Espinoza-Madrigal, executive director of Lawyers for Civil Rights, said the decision was
“benchmarking an incredibly important racial justice inflection point in Boston.”
Susan Finegan, co-counsel for the intervenors and attorney at Mintz, said, “We believe that it’s a winnable appeal. … “We are confident in our side of the argument and we are going to defend it very vigorously.”
A Boston Public Schools spokesman said exam school invitations are being finalized and should be sent out by the end of the month. That’s about a month later than usual due to the legal proceedings.
Boston’s elite exam schools include Boston Latin School, Boston Latin Academy and the John D. O’Bryant School of Mathematics and Science.