LAUSD's Desegregation Policy Amounts To 'Racial Favoritism,' Lawsuit Claims

LOS ANGELES, CA — The Los Angeles Unified School District discriminates against white students under its decades-old desegregation policy, a lawsuit filed Tuesday alleges.

Brought by the 1776 Project Foundation, a Billings, Montana-based conservative group, the federal civil rights suit contends the district's allegedly racially discriminatory policies systematically disadvantage certain students based on the racial makeup of their schools.

Filed in Los Angeles federal court, the complaint targets LAUSD's use of race-based classifications to label schools as "PHBAO" — Predominantly Hispanic, Black, Asian, and Other non-Anglo — and to allocate benefits accordingly.

Fewer than 100 schools in the district lack the PHBAO designation, and the suit alleges that students at these schools, including white and Middle Eastern students, are being denied equal access to educational resources and opportunities.

An LAUSD spokesperson said the district could not comment on ongoing litigation.

"Because this matter involves pending litigation, we are unable to comment on the specifics," according to the statement. "However, Los Angeles Unified remains firmly committed to ensuring all students have meaningful access to services and enriching educational opportunities."

The plaintiffs maintain that LAUSD continues to use a race-based formula stemming from a 1981 court order related to desegregation, which categorized schools by student demographics. While that order aimed to remedy past discrimination, the lawsuit argues that the district has transformed the policy into a permanent and unconstitutional system of racial preferences.

According to the 1776 Project Foundation, PHBAO schools receive more funding, staff and smaller class sizes than non-PHBAO schools. Additionally, the plaintiffs assert, only PHBAO school parents are guaranteed two annual parent-teacher conferences.

"These policies are not just unfair — they're unconstitutional," Michael DiNardo, lead attorney for the 1776 Project Foundation, said in a statement. "What began as a temporary measure to address segregation has become a rigid system of racial favoritism that excludes thousands of students from equal opportunity."

The lawsuit alleges violations of the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and California's Proposition 209, which prohibits racial preferences in public education.

The plaintiffs seek a permanent injunction to halt LAUSD's alleged race-based programming to "ensure that all students receive equal treatment, regardless of racial classification," according to the foundation.

City News Service