Federal judge will hear case against Sacramento school closures
Published: Thursday, Jul. 4, 2013 - 12:00 am | Page 1B
A federal judge in Sacramento has granted a July 11 hearing on a lawsuit seeking to block closure of seven elementary schools in the Sacramento City Unified School District.
U.S. District Judge Kimberly J. Mueller, in issuing the order on Wednesday, said she will allow limited testimony from a plaintiffs' expert witness, Jesus Hernandez.
Mark Merin, attorney for the plaintiffs, said the judge's order means that Hernandez, who has a doctorate in sociology from the University of California, Davis, will be allowed to "augment and explain the basis for his opinion and conclusions that this is a case of intentional discrimination against poor and minority communities in favor of white communities."
Families whose schools are slated for closure filed the suit in June, alleging that the district chose campuses in low-income neighborhoods where residents have little political influence.
Defendants include the district, Superintendent Jonathan Raymond and the four trustees who supported the closure plan – President Jeff Cuneo, Vice President Patrick Kennedy and members Darrel Woo and Jay Hansen.
District officials have said they identified campuses for closure based on how little each elementary