The 1776 Project Foundation sued LAUSD, claiming a desegregation-era policy that grants extra resources to predominantly non-white schools discriminates against white students. The complaint seeks a permanent injunction and cites the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the 14th Amendment. The policy affects more than 600 schools and covers magnet admissions, parent-teacher conference requirements, and lower student-teacher ratios. The case arrives amid national debate over whether to lift long-standing desegregation court orders.
Conservative Group Sues LAUSD, Saying Desegregation Policy Discriminates Against White Students
FILE - The Los Angeles Unified School District, LAUSD headquarters building is seen in Los Angeles, Sept. 9, 2021. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
A conservative advocacy group on Tuesday filed a federal lawsuit against the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), arguing that a decades-old policy intended to mitigate the effects of segregation unlawfully discriminates against white students.
What the Lawsuit Alleges
The 1776 Project Foundation, created by the 1776 Project PAC, challenged an LAUSD policy that designates certain campuses as predominantly Hispanic, Black, Asian or otherwise non-white and provides them with smaller class sizes and other supports.
The foundation says the designations function as racial classifications that violate the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment. Its complaint asks a federal court to issue a permanent injunction preventing the district from using race-based preferences in operating, funding, advertising or admitting students to programs.
How the Policy Works
According to the lawsuit and the district's Student Integration Services website, more than 600 LAUSD schools are designated as predominantly non-white, while fewer than 100 are not. Students at designated schools receive extra points when applying to magnet programs, those schools are required to hold at least two parent-teacher conferences per year, and they must maintain student-teacher ratios of 25-to-1 or lower. By contrast, other district schools may have classroom ratios as high as 34-to-1, which the complaint describes as a race-based advantage.
"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. A district spokesperson declined to comment on the specifics of pending litigation.
Plaintiffs and Broader Context
The 1776 Project Foundation lists members among the plaintiffs, including a parent whose children attend a school not classified as predominantly non-white; the complaint alleges those children were denied benefits such as admission to a magnet program because of the policy.
The lawsuit comes amid political pressure from some former Trump administration officials and allies to lift Civil Rights Movement–era desegregation court orders, which they describe as outdated. Civil rights advocates contend that those orders remain essential tools for addressing both the legacy and ongoing effects of segregation — including disparities in student discipline, academic offerings and teacher hiring.
About the 1776 Project Foundation
The foundation says its mission is to promote academic achievement and revitalize education. It supports local school board candidates and campaigns and opposes what it calls progressive pedagogy and diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.
The lawsuit sets up a broader legal and policy debate over how school districts can remedy historic and contemporary segregation while complying with federal civil rights law.
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