LAUSD Faces Lawsuit Alleging Discrimination Against White Students
A lawsuit filed in federal court on Tuesday claims that the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) discriminates against white students by providing more resources to schools with a high percentage of non-white students. The lawsuit, filed by the 1776 Project Foundation, alleges that the district’s program, which targets schools with 70% or more non-white students, is unfair to white students.
The program in question provides additional resources, including smaller class sizes, to schools that meet the 70% threshold. The lawsuit claims that this program gives an unfair advantage to students in these schools, including preferential treatment for entry into magnet programs. According to the lawsuit, approximately 600 schools benefit from this program, while around 100 do not.
Critics Speak Out Against the Lawsuit
Critics of the lawsuit argue that it is an attempt to undermine efforts to address the historical disparities in education faced by students of color. Mark Rosenbaum, a civil rights attorney, stated that the targeted programs were part of a court decree to remedy decades of discrimination in under-resourced schools. He argued that the resources were not directed at specific racial or ethnic groups but rather at all students attending separate and unequal schools.
Tyrone C. Howard, director of UCLA’s Center for the Transformation of Schools, also criticized the lawsuit, calling it a “misguided attempt to rewrite the history of school desegregation in the country.” He noted that there is a body of research that has identified deep-seated inequities affecting students of color historically and contemporarily.
Background and Context
The LAUSD has a long history of efforts to address integration and provide resources to underserved schools. The district’s magnet program, established decades ago, was designed to promote voluntary integration. While the program has undergone changes over the years, its core goal remains the same: to provide equal access to quality education for all students, regardless of their background.
According to state data, the LAUSD is approximately 74% Latino, 10% white, 7% Black, and 3.3% Asian, with a total enrollment of around 380,000 students. The district allocates extra resources based mainly on which schools are performing worse on academic measures, not race. Federal funds, such as Title I funding, also benefit schools with high concentrations of poverty, regardless of race.
Expert Insights and Reactions
Pedro Noguera, the dean of USC’s Rossier School of Education, called the lawsuit an “increasingly common” tactic from conservative groups that want to claim reverse discrimination. He noted that there is no empirical evidence to support the claim that helping low-income kids of color hurts affluent white students.
The 1776 Project describes its mission as advocating for the principle of equal rights for all by opposing race-based discrimination in public education. However, critics argue that the lawsuit is an attempt to undermine efforts to address the historical disparities in education faced by students of color.
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