Conservative group says Los Angeles school policy hurts white students in federal lawsuit

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LOS ANGELES (AP) — A conservative group filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday challenging a Los Angeles schools policy meant to address the harms of segregation, alleging that it discriminates against white students.

The 1776 Project Foundation, created by the 1776 Project PAC, targeted in its lawsuit a Los Angeles Unified School District policy that provides smaller class sizes and other benefits to schools with predominantly Hispanic, Black, Asian or other non-white students. It dates back to 1970 and 1976 court orders that required the district to desegregate its schools.

The group said the policy amounts to racial discrimination and violates the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment.

The lawsuit calls for a permanent injunction to prevent the school district from using race preferences in “operating, funding, advertising, or admitting students into school programs.”

A district spokesperson said they were unable to comment on the specifics of pending litigation.

“Los Angeles Unified remains firmly committed to ensuring all students have meaningful access to services and enriching educational opportunities,” the district said in a statement.

More than 600 schools in the district are classified as predominantly Hispanic, Black, Asian or other non-white, while less than 100 are not, the lawsuit said.

Students that attend a school under this designation receive extra points when applying to magnet schools, and they are required to have at least two parent-teacher conferences per year, according to the district's Student Integration Services website. These schools are also required to have student-teacher ratios of 25 to 1 or less, compared to other schools that are allowed to have classroom ratios of as high as 34 to 1, according to the lawsuit.

The 1776 Project Foundation's mission is to “create and disseminate policies that will promote academic achievement and revitalize our educational system for families and students across the nation,” according to its website. It does so primarily by putting money behind local school board candidates, pushing back against “progressive pedagogy” and diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, its website said.

The group's members include a parent whose children are enrolled in a Los Angeles school that is not classified as predominantly Hispanic, Black, Asian or other non-white, according to the lawsuit. Because of the district's policy, those children were denied certain benefits such as admission to a magnet program, the lawsuit alleges.

The filing comes as Trump administration officials have pushed for the lifting of Civil Rights Movement-era school desegregation court orders, calling them obsolete and unnecessary.

Civil rights groups say the orders are important to keep as tools to address the legacy of forced segregation — including disparities in student discipline, academic programs and teacher hiring — as well as segregation that is still actively happening.