Lawsuit Targets Massachusetts School Segregation

Nine Black and Latino students and four community organizations sued Massachusetts on May 20, saying the state’s school district map and enrollment rules confine many children to racially segregated, high-poverty systems. The complaint, filed in Suffolk Superior Court, names districts including Lawrence, Springfield, Holyoke, Boston, Brockton, Lynn and Worcester. Plaintiffs say the state constitution’s guarantees of adequate education and equal protection are being violated because students generally can attend school only where they live, replicating housing segregation in public education. The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education said it does not have authority to redraw district lines or force districts to accept out-of-district students. ### Why is Lawrence in the lawsuit? Lawrence is one of the “Gateway Cities” named in the complaint, alongside Brockton, Springfield, Holyoke, Lynn and Worcester, as a district where Black and Latino students are concentrated in segregated schools, according to the suit. Plaintiffs say those districts border whiter and more affluent communities whose schools are not open to them under current assignment rules. (pbs.org) The complaint argues that district boundaries, not only conditions inside a single school system, are a central part of the problem. WBUR reported that the plaintiffs say nearly all racial segregation in Massachusetts schools now occurs between districts rather than within them, a point they use to argue that local districts cannot solve the issue on their own. (wbur.org) ### What evidence do the plaintiffs cite? A 2024 report by the state’s Racial Imbalance Advisory Council found that 63% of Massachusetts public schools were “segregated” or “intensely segregated,” according to PBS, WBUR and other local coverage of the filing. The same reporting said schools with higher concentrations of students of color posted weaker outcomes on measures including graduation and college matriculation. (wbur.org) Brown’s Promise, a co-counsel and advocacy group backing the case, says Massachusetts has the second-highest level of between-district economic segregation in the country and ranks fifth for economic school segregation. Those figures come from the group’s campaign materials rather than a court ruling, but they show how the plaintiffs are framing the case around district lines as well as school funding. (pbs.org) ### What are the plaintiffs asking a judge to order? The plaintiffs are asking for a comprehensive voluntary integration plan and added investment in districts serving concentrated poverty, according to WBUR and PBS. The lawsuit was filed by Lawyers for Civil Rights with Brown’s Promise, and local coverage said WilmerHale is also representing the plaintiffs. (brownspromise.org) Jillian Lenson, a senior attorney at Lawyers for Civil Rights, told PBS that the state has maintained and perpetuated unequal school conditions for decades. Ary Amerikaner, executive director of Brown’s Promise, told WBUR that Massachusetts has some of the most segregated schools by race and income in the country and that the problem is not improving. (wbur.org) ### What is the state saying in response? Jacqueline Reis, a spokesperson for the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, said in a written statement that the department lacks the power to change district boundaries or compel districts to enroll students from elsewhere. She said the state has invested in narrowing graduation gaps and sought additional support for high-poverty districts. (pbs.org) Reis also said Massachusetts “leads the nation in student achievement” and is committed to strengthening the system for every student. That response did not directly address the plaintiffs’ claim that segregation across district lines itself violates the state constitution. ### Who else joined the case? (pbs.org) Four community organizations joined the students as plaintiffs: Essex County Community Organization, Worcester Interfaith, YWCA of Central Massachusetts and Out Now, according to WBUR. Family members of student plaintiffs have also spoken publicly about the case, including Juanita Batchelor, whose grandchild attends school in Springfield. (pbs.org) Batchelor said in a press release quoted by WBUR that schools are not preparing children “to learn, play, live, and work together” if Black and Latino communities continue to receive fewer resources than nearby wealthy white districts. ### What happens next in court? The lawsuit is now pending in Suffolk Superior Court, where the state will have to answer the complaint and the parties will begin litigating what remedies, if any, a judge can order. (wbur.org) Brown’s Promise says the case is part of a broader campaign to push Massachusetts toward integrated, well-resourced schools, and court filings and hearings in Boston will determine the next steps.