Under Los Angeles policy, schools with mostly non-white students have more staffers and smaller class sizes.
The Los Angeles policy that provides benefits such as smaller classes to schools with mostly non-white students discriminates against white pupils, according to a new lawsuit.
The Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) “engages in—and publicly touts—a program of overt discrimination against a new minority: White students,” the lawsuit, filed in federal court in California by the 1776 Project Foundation on Jan. 20, says.
LAUSD officials classify each student in a racial group, then classify each school as primarily Hispanic, Black, Asian, other non-Anglo, or primarily white.
For schools with at least 70 percent of students classified as non-Anglo, the district offers smaller class sizes, higher levels of parental involvement, more staff, and extra points on applications for magnet schools.
LAUSD, the second-largest district in the country, with more than 600,000 students, is violating the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the U.S. Constitution’s 14th Amendment, the plaintiffs say.
“These policies are not just unfair—they’re unconstitutional,” Michael DiNardo, lead attorney for the 1776 Project Foundation, said in a statement. “What began as a temporary measure to address segregation has become a rigid system of racial favoritism that excludes thousands of students from equal opportunity.”
The policy stems from a 1981 court order related to desegregation.
The 1776 Project Foundation is a nonprofit that says it advocates for equal rights by opposing racial discrimination in public education.
At least one member of the foundation resides in the district and has children enrolled there, according to the suit.
An adult labeled parent A was said to have two minor children in a racial group falling under the non-Anglo category. Those children are attending a school that does not receive the benefits, such as smaller class sizes, and are thus suffering from racially discriminatory policy, the plaintiffs said.
The foundation also says it has standing to sue on behalf of members whose children are forced to compete in the allegedly unconstitutional system.
The U.S. District Court for the Central District of California was asked to declare the system unconstitutional and violative of federal law, and permanently bar officials from using racial preferences in “operating, funding, advertising, or admitting students into school programs.”
“Because this matter involves pending litigation, we are unable to comment on the specifics,” a spokesperson for LAUSD told The Epoch Times in an email. “However, Los Angeles Unified remains firmly committed to ensuring all students have meaningful access to services and enriching educational opportunities.”
