A nonprofit group has filed a federal lawsuit against the Los Angeles Unified School District, alleging that LAUSD’s racial classification of schools deprives white or Middle Eastern students of academic resources and opportunities.
The 1776 Project Foundation, which aims to promote equality in education, filed the lawsuit on Jan. 20 in the Central District of California. Its complaint argues that racially discriminatory policies adopted by the district channel funding, outreach and opportunities only to schools designated “PHBAO,” or “Predominantly Hispanic, Black, Asian and Other non-Anglo,” resulting in inferior treatment of “non-PHBAO” schools.
More than 600 LAUSD schools have the “PHBAO” designation, while only 100 schools are classified as “non-PHBAO,” according to the lawsuit.
“None of this is constitutional,” the complaint states. “None of it can be allowed to stand. It is to vindicate the American ideal of racial equality – and end the unlawful discrimination now afoot in the Los Angeles County public schools – that the 1776 Project Foundation brings this lawsuit.”
Among the advantages the district accords to PHBAO schools are smaller class sizes (student-teacher ratios of no more than 25-to-1, compared to the maximum 34.5-to-1 ratio in non-PHBAO schools); more parent-teacher conferences; additional staffing, including teachers and administrators; and additional points for students seeking to attend magnet schools in the district, the lawsuit says.
The complaint alleges that the LAUSD policies are at odds with the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and state Proposition 209, which bars state entities from considering race, sex or ethnicity in education and public employment.
An LAUSD spokesperson pushed back at the idea that the district policies create unequal opportunities.
“Because this matter involves pending litigation, we are unable to comment on the specifics,” the spokesperson said in an email to the Southern California Record. “However, Los Angeles Unified remains firmly committed to ensuring all students have meaningful access to services and enriching educational opportunities.”
Aiden Buzzetti, the foundation’s president, argues that the policies may have begun with a goal of addressing in the past, but they have evolved into discriminatory practices.
“These policies are not just unfair – they’re unconstitutional,” Buzzetti said in a prepared statement. “What began as a temporary measure to address segregation has become a rigid system of racial favoritism that excludes thousands of students from equal opportunity.”
The 1776 Project reports that one or more of its members currently reside in the school district and have children currently enrolled in LAUSD schools.
The lawsuit seeks a court declaration that the defendant’s policies and actions violate the U.S. Constitution, the Civil Rights Act and the state constitution. In addition, the plaintiff is calling for a permanent injunction barring LAUSD from using race preferences in ways that disadvantage students at certain schools and requesting an award of attorney fees.
