Lawsuit: Massachusetts Segregates Lawrence Schools

Nine students and four community organizations sued Massachusetts on May 20 in Suffolk Superior Court, alleging the state’s school system unlawfully maintains racially segregated districts that concentrate Black and Latino children in high-poverty, lower-opportunity schools. The complaint names Lawrence alongside Boston, Brockton, Holyoke, Lynn, Springfield and Worcester as districts where plaintiffs say students are effectively locked into under-resourced schools by municipal boundary lines and residence-based assignment rules. The defendants are the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, Commissioner Pedro Martinez, the Executive Office of Education, Secretary Stephen Zrike Jr., the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education and board chair Katherine Craven. Plaintiffs are seeking declaratory and injunctive relief, not money damages, and want the state ordered to develop a plan to reduce segregation across district lines. ### Why is Lawrence part of a statewide case instead of a local district dispute? Lawrence is listed in the complaint as one of several “Gateway Cities” where Black and Latino students attend segregated, high-poverty districts that border whiter and more affluent systems, according to the lawsuit and WBUR’s account of it. Plaintiffs argue that because most segregation now occurs between districts rather than within a single district, local school systems cannot fix the problem on their own. (lawyersforcivilrights.org) The complaint says Massachusetts “prioritize[s] municipal boundaries over equal access to educational opportunities,” leaving students unable to attend nearby higher-performing districts even when those schools are geographically close. PBS reported that the state’s assignment system, which largely ties students to the district where they live, is central to the challenge. (wbur.org) ### What exactly do the plaintiffs say the state is doing wrong? The May 20 complaint says the Commonwealth is violating the Massachusetts Constitution by maintaining “racially segregated school districts characterized by concentrated poverty” that deny Black and Latino students an adequate and equal education. The filing says more than 175,000 Black and Latino schoolchildren are relegated to what it calls a “second-tier education.” (lawyersforcivilrights.org) Jillian Lenson, a senior attorney at Lawyers for Civil Rights, told PBS that the state has failed in practice to deliver the constitutional guarantees of adequate education and equal protection for Black and Latino students. 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 entire country.” (lawyersforcivilrights.org) ### What evidence are they using to support the claim? A 2024 report by the state’s Racial Imbalance Advisory Council found that 63% of Massachusetts schools were segregated or intensely segregated, according to PBS and the complaint. The complaint also says more than 225,000 students — about one in four statewide — attend segregated or intensely segregated non-white schools. (pbs.org) WBUR reported that the lawsuit points to neighboring schools with sharply different resources and outcomes, separated by district lines that determine who can enroll. Plaintiffs say those lines mirror housing segregation and produce unequal access to stronger academic programs, graduation outcomes and college pathways. ### What remedy are the plaintiffs asking a judge to order? (pbs.org) The lawsuit asks the court to require Massachusetts to adopt a comprehensive voluntary integration plan, according to WBUR. PBS reported that plaintiffs want broader access plans that would let students attend schools beyond their home districts and would require stronger investment in districts with concentrated poverty. (wbur.org) The complaint frames the requested relief as statewide because the challenged policies are statewide. Community plaintiffs include Essex County Community Organization, Worcester Interfaith, YWCA of Central Massachusetts and Out Now. ### How has the state responded so far? The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education said it does not have authority to redraw district boundaries or force districts to accept students from outside their borders, according to PBS. (wbur.org) Department spokesperson Jacqueline Reis said the state has invested in narrowing graduation gaps and pursued added support for high-poverty districts. (lawyersforcivilrights.org) Reis said, “Massachusetts leads the nation in student achievement,” and added that the state is committed to strengthening the system “for every student in our state,” PBS and WBUR reported. The department did not directly address the legal claims in the complaint, WBUR said. ### What happens next in court? Suffolk Superior Court will decide whether to hear the plaintiffs’ constitutional claims and whether to order the state to craft a desegregation remedy. (pbs.org) As of May 23, the public record available through the complaint and initial news reports showed the case had been filed but not yet resolved on the merits. Lawyers for Civil Rights, Brown’s Promise and pro bono counsel from WilmerHale are representing the plaintiffs, according to Brown’s Promise and related coverage. (pbs.org) The next concrete step is likely a state response to the complaint in Suffolk Superior Court. (brownspromise.org) (lawyersforcivilrights.org)