The Supreme Court has made clear that racial discrimination has no place in public school admissions.But when schools hide discrimination behind race-neutral policies, lower courts have let them get away with it — as long as the targeted racial group isn’t hurt too much.On Oct.
19, the court agreed to hear a case brought by parents in Montgomery County, Md., challenging an admissions policy designed to reduce Asian-American enrollment at the county’s magnet middle schools.At stake is a fundamental question: Does the Constitution protect students as individuals, or do their rights depend on how others of their race perform?With this case, the Supreme Court could reverse a Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals precedent that Justice Alito once called "flagrantly wrong" and "a virus that may spread if not promptly eliminated."STAR STUDENT REJECTED BY 16 COLLEGES, HIRED BY GOOGLE, GETS LEGAL WIN IN RACIAL DISCRIMINATION SUITThis isn’t a small procedural question.
It’s fundamental.Does the Constitution protect us as individuals? Or do our rights depend on the outcomes of racial groups?People walk past the Supreme Court on Thursday, June 27, 2024, in Washington, D.C.
(AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)Montgomery County is a suburb of Washington, D.C., straddling the Capital Beltway and home to at least 10 federal agencies.Its school system is one of the largest in the country and includes four magnet middle schools for gifted students.In 2015, Montgomery County’s school system hired consultants to examine the racial makeup of its gifted programs, including its magnet schools.
At the time, Asian-American students made up nearly half the enrollment at these four schools, which admitted students based on grades, a cognitive abilities test and teacher recommendations.The consultants reported "significant racial and socioeconomic disparities" at the schools.Black and Hispanic students were underrepresented compared to their countywide enrollment numbers.
Montgomery County ...