School named in federal civil rights complaint
FITCHBURG >> Montachusett Regional Vocational Technical School is one of two vocational schools in the state named in a federal civil rights complaint over admissions practices.
The complaint was filed Thursday morning against the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education with the federal Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights by the Lawyers for Civil Rights and the Center for Law and Education. It is on behalf of two students from Gardner, two students from Chelsea, and the Vocational Education Justice Coalition, which consists of 20 community, civil rights, and union groups.
According to the complaint, a student identified as Aaron Doe applied to Monty Tech during the 2019-2020 school year. The complaint states he is a student with disabilities and had an Individualized Education Program while attending middle school. He was determined to attend a school where he could thrive in a hands-on environment and struggled to envision himself in an environment where he was “glued to a desk.”
“Ultimately, he was denied admission. Ironically, his current teachers now note that he would benefit from a hands-on learning environment. Despite being denied admission, Aaron Doe remains interested in career and technical education, but he will now have to incur out-ofpocket expenses for a private specialized program if he enrolls in one after he completes high school,” the complaint states.
Similarly, Juan Doe applied to Monty Tech during the 2021-2022 school year. The complaint describes him as an English-language learner who believed he would benefit from being in an interactive learning environment. He has a particularly strong interest in carpentry and wanted to follow in his uncle’s footsteps owning a construction business.
“Juan maintained a Bgrade point average and had no disciplinary or attendance issues. In the school year 2021-22, he applied to Monty Tech. Although he believed his interview process went well, he was ultimately denied admission to Monty Tech. He still hopes to obtain access to career and technical education during his time in high school and aspires to open his own business,” the complaint states.
When students are considered for admission to Monty Tech, they are given a “Total Rating Score” based on five criteria which informs who will fill the seats apportioned for each of the 18 source communities. Grades account for 25% of a student’s score; disciplinary history, attendance, and an interview each account for 20%; and a sending school recommendation accounts for 15%.
“All resident applicants are placed in order of their Total Rating Score and by town of residence. Resident applicants are then accepted in order of the Total Rating Score they have achieved. The resident applicant with the highest Total Rating Score is accepted first, the resident applicant with the second highest Total Rating Score is accepted second, and so on until all seats are filled,” Monty Tech’s admission policy states.
In a statement, Superintendent Thomas Browne said, “the long-standing practice of incorporating selective criteria in an admission policy is not intended to be discriminatory.” The criteria is used when there are more applicants than there are seats available.
Browne said vocational schools, like Monty Tech, were growing in popularity. Monty Tech had 850 students who wanted to attend the school as part of the Class of 2026, but only 370 spots were available and not all could be admitted.
“It is an unfortunate call we answer too often, and we hope that we handle their disappointments with the compassion and care that we would expect should we find ourselves in a similar situation. Hence, we remain committed to finding solutions that will successfully address the needs of all student populations,” Browne said.
Browne added Monty Tech had initiated steps to implement a new Partnership Program that will serve 80 students chosen by the Fitchburg Public Schools, Gardner Public Schools, and Narragansett Regional School District. The goal is to create a program that will train 40 juniors and 40 seniors each year in a Chapter 74 Carpentry or Electrical workforce training program.
Monty Tech had secured a Lab Modernization Grant to build out two state-ofthe-art training facilities by utilizing the school’s students and instructors to renovate a vacant warehouse located 1.3 miles from campus. The school is leasing the property specifically for this purpose.
Complainants still say the admission practices must change and the data supports their position.
Spring 2022 final admissions data for Monty Tech, accessible through
DESE, showed the school accepted 42% of the students of color who applied compared to 57% of white students; 38% of economically disadvantaged students compared to 65% of those who were not; 42% of students with disabilities were accepted compared to 54% of students without disabilities; and 18% of English-language learners were accepted compared to 53% of non English-language learners.
“Students with the passion and talent for a trade, who have successfully completed 8th grade, should have a fair shot at admission at their regional vocational high school. However, that is not the reality under DESE’S current policies and regulations,” said Mirian Albert, staff attorney for Lawyers for Civil Rights in a statement.
Data showed statewide 37% of the students of color received admissions offers,