Massachusetts, a state known for its liberal policies, is facing a lawsuit over school segregation. Massachusetts schools have been high-profile battlegrounds for federal civil rights litigation for years, most notably in 1974, when a U.S. district court judge, W. Arthur Garrity, ordered busing of children within Boston. The new lawsuit is different in that its focus isn't segregation inside a single school district. Instead, it argues that the town and city borders that function as school district boundaries in Massachusetts violate the state constitution's education clause and the constitution's guarantee of equality under the law.
The lawsuit alleges that the state's school district boundaries and school assignment policies have created "racially segregated school districts characterized by concentrated poverty that deny Black and Latino students an adequate and equal education." The plaintiffs are students whose school choice is restricted by their municipal boundaries. For example, Boston student I.G., an 8-year-old Black student, is restricted from attending schools in neighboring districts like Needham, Newton, and Brookline, which have fewer Black and Latino students and higher-performing schools.
Segregation in Massachusetts Schools
The lawsuit doesn't name Maura Healey, the governor of Massachusetts, but is directed at the state's Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. It does name Stephen Zrike Jr., Healey's handpicked secretary of education. The lawsuit gives multiple examples of districts where Black and Latino students are concentrated in low-performing schools, while neighboring districts have higher-performing schools and fewer Black and Latino students.
Experts like Joshua Dunn, executive director of the Institute of American Civics at the University of Tennessee, say that the remedies sought in the complaint may not have much of an effect on levels of segregation. However, the lawsuit may put pressure on the state to consider alternative solutions, such as participating in the tax-credit scholarship program created by the One Big Beautiful Bill.
A spokeswoman for the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education said that the department believes all students deserve schools where they are known, valued, and have the support they need to succeed. The department is committed to building on the state's progress in student achievement to strengthen the education system for every student in the state.