Massachusetts is facing a constitutional lawsuit over allegations that its school district system reinforces racial segregation by limiting many Black and Latino students to under-resourced schools.
Lawyers for Civil Rights and Brown’s Promise filed the lawsuit on Wednesday in Suffolk County state court on behalf of nine students and four community organizations from districts including Springfield, Holyoke, Boston, Lawrence, Brockton, Lynn, and Worcester. The complaint challenges Massachusetts’ practice of assigning students to schools largely based on where they live.
According to the complaint, many of those districts border wealthier, predominantly white communities where students are unable to enroll due to local district restrictions. The groups allege that schools in neighboring districts often have greater access to academic programs, extracurricular activities, and college preparation resources.
A 2024 advisory council report cited in the lawsuit found that 63% of schools across Massachusetts were considered segregated or intensely segregated. Schools serving larger numbers of students of color showed weaker outcomes in areas including graduation rates and college enrollment.
The complaint alleges that Massachusetts has violated constitutional guarantees of equal protection and adequate public education by leaving many Black and Latino students in schools with fewer academic resources and opportunities. Court filings claim district enrollment policies and residency rules have helped produce racially divided schools because school access is often tied to residential boundaries.
Attorneys representing the students and organizations argue that those disparities are tied less to student performance and more to longstanding inequalities between school districts. The groups are asking the court to expand access to schools across district lines and increase investment in under-resourced districts.
Proposed remedies include expanding regional magnet school programs and improving inter-district transfer systems that allow some students to attend schools outside their home district. The complaint alleges existing programs remain too limited to provide broader access across districts.
The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education disputed the allegations and said it does not have the authority to redraw district lines or require schools to accept students from outside their communities. Department officials said the state has invested in programs intended to improve graduation rates and expand support for lower-income school districts.
The Massachusetts lawsuit follows similar cases filed in other states, including New Jersey and Minnesota, challenging whether district boundaries and local enrollment systems create unconstitutional inequalities in public education.
Federal oversight of school desegregation efforts has weakened in recent decades following a series of Supreme Court decisions that limit how school districts may use certain integration measures. The rulings led more groups to pursue education and segregation challenges under state constitutional protections instead of federal law.
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