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June 6, 2003
On June 6, 2003, the Federal District
Court of Massachusetts ruled that the Lynn School District’s
voluntary desegregation plan that considers race as a factor in assigning
children to K-12 public schools was constitutional in Comfort ex rel.
Neumyer v. Lynn School Committee, 263 F.Supp.2d 209 (D.Mass.). The
Court examined whether the voluntary desegregation plan was Constitutional
by applying the strict scrutiny standard. (For an explanation of this
standard, please see “Overview of Constitutional Requirements
in Race-Conscious Affirmative Action Policies in Education”
below.) The Court found that diversity, including racial diversity
to achieve the goals of “preparing students to be citizens in
a multiracial society and eliminating the concrete harmful consequences
that de facto segregation inflicts on a public school system,”
could be a compelling state interest. The Court also found that the
voluntary desegregation plan was narrowly tailored because it helped
to create an integrated school environment, where there was actual
intergroup racial contact that provided students with the ability
to cultivate skills that will enable them to function as citizens
in a complex and diverse world.
- Impact of Racial and Ethnic Diversity on Lynn Students
For more CRP research related to issues of desegregation and diversity in K-12 education, visit our Research section of the web site.
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