Press Releases
- December 02, 2011 New Federal Guidance Documents Provide Roadmap to Opportunity and Educational Excellence through Racial Diversity Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Applauds Landmark Guidance Documents; Releases Case Study
- October 17, 2011 BROAD COALITION FIGHTS FOR SANDERS ESEA AMENDMENTS TO ENSURE EQUAL ACCESS TO QUALITY TEACHERS More than eighty civil rights, disability, parent, student, grassroots and education organizations from across the country today urged Congress not to turn back the clock on teacher quality gains for poor and minority students, English Learners, and students with disabilities as it considers reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) currently known as No Child Left Behind (NCLB).
- September 26, 2011 PREP to Host Free Parent Training on Child Advocacy Skills and an Educational Consultation Clinic on October 8 in San Diego, CA! On Saturday, October 8th, the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law’s Parental Readiness and Empowerment Program (PREP), in conjunction with the San Diego Unified School District’s Parent Outreach and Engagement Department, will host a free parent training on advocacy skills and a free educational consultation clinic.
- April 26, 2011 Federal Judge Denies State’s Motion to Dismiss in Case Seeking Equal Education for New Orleans Special Needs Students On April 26, a federal judge denied the Louisiana Department of Education’s (LDE) motion to dismiss in the case brought by the Lawyers' Committee and partners on behalf of thousands of New Orleans students with special needs. These students are denied access to New Orleans public schools and often pushed into schools unable to provide them with the educational services they are due under the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), the Rehabilitation Act, and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
- April 14, 2011 DIVERSE COALITION DRAWS LINE ON ESEA TEACHER QUALITY: FULLY PREPARED AND EFFECTIVE TEACHERS FOR ALL STUDENTS "Congress should not throw out the "highly qualified" baby with the bathwater when it reauthorizes ESEA," said Tanya Clay House, public policy director of the National Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights in Washington D.C. "Our students need teachers who are fully prepared on their first day in the classroom and who prove themselves effective once they're there."
- March 31, 2011 Lawyers' Committee Celebrates Hearing's Victory in New Orleans Special Education Class Action Lawsuit Judge Zainey's ruling maintains New Orleans as the venue for the federal class action lawsuit filed on behalf of the 4,500 New Orleans students with disabilities, contesting the Louisiana State Department of Education's systemic failure to ensure equal access to educational services with protections from discrimination. The state's request to move the case from New Orleans to Baton Rouge would have posed a significant burden on children and families involved in this matter.
- March 14, 2011 Lawyers' Committee Commends President Obama's Commitment to Fix No Child Left Behind The Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law applauds President Barack Obama's call for Congress to formulate an education reform bill where "education is America's priority" for all students.
- October 26, 2010 Southern Poverty Law Center, Lawyers’ Committee For Civil Rights Under Law, Loyola Law Clinic, and Southern Disability Law Center File Complaint Against the Louisiana Department OF Education The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law (LCCRUL), the Community Justice section of the Loyola Law Clinic, and the Southern Disability Law Center filed a federal civil rights lawsuit today against the Louisiana Department of Education (LDE) on behalf of all New Orleans students with special needs.
- September 09, 2010 Lawyers' Committee Commends Education Secretary Arne Duncan's Commitment Toward Recruiting Minority Teachers “The Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law applauds U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan’s commitment to increased recruitment of African American and Latino teachers,” said Executive Director Barbara Arnwine. “I agree with him wholeheartedly that the underrepresentation of minority teachers, particularly males, is alarming. This lack of positive role models and mentors in the classroom is unacceptable and is clearly contributing to the dropout rate in Latino and African American communities.”
- September 07, 2010 Lawyers’ Committee Honors Legacy of Jefferson Thomas "The Lawyers' Committee joins the nation in mourning the loss of Jefferson Thomas, who, along with eight classmates courageously integrated Arkansas's largest public high school, Central High School, in 1957. We commend his outstanding sacrifice and example in testing the federal government's resolve to enforce the U.S. Supreme Court's 1954 ruling rendering racial segregation in American public schools illegal."
- July 29, 2010 Lawyers' Committee Commends President Obama's National Urban League Speech; Urges Continued Dialogue for ESEA Reauthorization "President Obama is to be commended for his overall remarks during the National Urban League's July 29th plenary session," said Lawyers' Committee Executive Director Barbara Arnwine. "I particularly appreciate his candid discussion of the Shirley Sherrod incident, prioritization of education reform and enthusiastic anticipation of signing the Fair Sentencing Act of 2010 into law."
- May 17, 2010 The Promise of Brown v. Board of Education Remains Unfulfilled On the occasion of the 56th anniversary of the landmark Brown v. Board of Education case, the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law released the following statement. As the nation marks 56 years since the U.S. Supreme
- June 08, 2009 The Lawyers' Committee Joins Lawsuit on Behalf of Historically Black Colleges & Universities Alleging Discrimination by the State of Maryland
