BOSTON- — A civil rights group has filed a complaint on behalf of four students that argue Massachusetts allows vocational technical education schools to use admissions criteria that exclude students of color, English Learners, and students with disabilities.
Data from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education illustrates how students from these demographics are disproportionally excluded from the CTVE schools, according to Lawyers for Civil Rights of Boston.
“Students with the passion and talent for trade, who have successfully completed 8th grade, should have a fair shot at admission at their regional vocational high school. However, that is not the reality under DESE’s current policies and regulations,” said Mirian Albert, Staff Attorney for Lawyers for Civil Rights. “Students who do not benefit from a traditional educational setting can be re-engaged through CVTE’s practical and hands-on instruction. CVTE also allows students—particularly from traditionally marginalized communities—to be competitive in the job market, all of which make the need for equitable admissions even more urgent.”
“Any student who successfully completes middle school should have an equal shot at admission to a vocational education program,” said Lewis Finfer of VEJC, the organizational complainant. “Rank-ordering students based on their grades or attendance, and only admitting the top students, is antithetical to the whole purpose behind vocational education.”
The complaint asks the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights to intervene and suspend any further federal funding until new admissions criteria is established
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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