Federal Suit Filed Against State On Restrictions To Magnet, Charter School Development
A California-based educational-advocacy group has filed a federal lawsuit charging that Connecticut's restrictions on magnet and charter schools harm city children and violate the equal protection clause of the U.S. Constitution.
Students Matter, a group best known for bringing an unsuccessful lawsuit seeking to eliminate teacher tenure in California, filed a 71-page complaint Tuesday charging that "inexcusable educational inequity" in Connecticut was primarily the result of state laws "that prevent inner-city students from accessing even minimally acceptable public-school options."
The group is taking aim at laws that have put a moratorium on new magnet schools, limit the expansion of charter schools, and set per-student funding levels for districts participating in the Open Choice program in which city students attend suburban schools.
A statement from Students Matter said, "Year after year, these parents have tried to avoid sending their children to failing public schools by trying to enroll them in magnet schools, charter public schools or other adequate public school alternatives."
However, the group contends that children have been "forced to remain in failing schools" because laws prevent magnets and charters from "scaling and meeting the need for high-quality schools demanded by Connecticut's population."Federal Suit Filed Against State On Restrictions To Magnet, Charter School Development - Hartford Courant:
Beware of AstroTurf Ed Reformers
Astroturf lobbying refers to political organizations or campaigns that appear to be made up of grassroots activists but are actually organized and run by corporate interests seeking to further their own agendas. Such groups are often typified by innocent-sounding names that have been chosen specifically to disguise the group's true backers
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