Activists file lawsuit to stop D.C. school closures
Opponents of the District’s plan to close 15 under-enrolled public schools filed a lawsuit Friday in an effort to force Chancellor Kaya Henderson to keep them open.
The complaint alleges that the proposed closures, which are clustered in low-income neighborhoods east of Rock Creek Park and the Anacostia River, would disproportionately affect African American children, poor children and students with disabilities.
More news about education
Superintendent defends Teach For America
Is Teach For America finished? This veteran school administrator says he needs these young teachers.
Why my grandson, 4, won’t be tested
Four-year-olds in New York City are preparing for gifted tests. Ben Mathews is spared such nonsense.
Why my grandson, 4, won’t be tested
New York City four-year-olds are studying for gifted tests. Ben Mathews will skip that.
Black students account for 93 percent of students affected by the proposed closures, according to the complaint, but compose 72 percent of the school system’s population. Poor children make up 82 percent of the affected students but 70 percent of the larger population, it says.
“We have proclaimed that you can’t have one city unless you have one standard,” said Johnny Barnes, an attorney for plaintiffs organized by activist group Empower D.C. “You can’t treat students west of the park different and better than you treat students