Lawsuit challenging segregation in N.J. public schools set to return to court

A lawsuit challenging segregation in N.J.’s public schools will return to courts after the state and a coalition of plaintiffs could not reach an agreement during 15 months of negotiations. Mediation, or negotiations between legal parties, began in 2023 after a state Superior Court judge found racial segregation in N.J. schools, but said the plaintiffs failed to show that segregation is widespread across every district.

The case began in 2018 when Latino Action Network, NAACP N.J. State Conference, and the Urban League of Essex County joined families of nine N.J. public school students in a lawsuit claiming segregation in N.J. schools violates the state constitution and deprives students of their right to a quality education.

In N.J., students must attend schools in the municipality where they live, which results in segregated schools because of residential segregation and discriminatory housing laws and practices, according to the lawsuit and a 2017 study from the UCLA Civil Rights Project. Possible solutions include creating new magnet schools that enroll students from multiple districts, allowing students to transfer schools, and redrawing district boundaries. The plaintiffs have until Apr. 15 to file a motion to appeal the 2023 ruling.

From Chalkbeat Newark.