Circuit Court Upholds Trial Court Ruling in Blunt v. LMSD

The U.S. Third Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday, Sept. 12, affirmed the 2011 trial court ruling in Blunt v. Lower Merion School District.

The Circuit Court agreed with the prior ruling that there was “no direct or circumstantial evidence of racial discrimination” in Lower Merion’s special-education programs.

“The ruling is further validation for the District’s long held position that it has appropriately conducted educational programming -- including the comprehensive special education program -- to best serve the needs of all children in the Lower Merion School District,” Lower Merion School District said in a statement Tuesday.

The lawsuit, originally filed in 2007, claimed that “numerous African-American students enrolled in LMSD were removed from core classes, denied the opportunity to take electives including foreign languages, and relegated to classes that assigned them what one student referred to as ‘baby work,’ ” the Public Interest Law Center of Philadelphia said.

District officials spoke out after the ruling was announced, saying that they “acknowledged the plaintiffs’ shared goal of ensuring the achievement of all students.”

“Lower Merion School District is squarely focused on serving the educational needs of every student at every grade level, and to narrowing -- and eventually closing -- the achievement gap,” acting superintendent Dr. Wagner Marseille said. “This effort is central to our strategic plan and to the daily practice of our dedicated staff.”