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Delaware Charter School Discrimination Case Filed

khanes athiratanakran
/
creative commons

WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) - The American Civil Liberties Union and Community Legal Aid Society are targeting Delaware's charter school laws, saying they violate the rights of minority students and students with disabilities.
 
The two groups filed a complaint Wednesday with the Office of Civil Rights in the U.S. Department of Education against the state and the Red Clay school district in northern Delaware. It alleges Delaware's charter school law and policies have significantly contributed to the resegregation of public schools.
 
The ACLU says high-performing charter schools in Delaware tend to have a majority of white students, while poor students and students with disabilities are disproportionately found in failing charter schools and charter schools that are predominantly black or Hispanic.
 
The complaint says the disparities result from admissions policies, placement exams, and other factors.
 

Don Rush is the News Director at Delmarva Public Media. An award-winning journalist, Don reports major local issues of the day, from sea level rise, to urban development, to the changing demographics of Delmarva.