SPLC: Court Decision Allows Lawsuit over Mississippi Public Schools to Move Forward

MISSISSIPPI – A lawsuit brought by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) on behalf of families impacted by Mississippi’s failure to provide a “uniform system of free public schools” can move forward, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit ruled this week. 

The following statement is by Christine Bischoff, senior staff attorney for the SPLC: 

“The court’s decision, allowing the case to move forward, is welcome news for families impacted by Mississippi’s violation of the Readmission Act and establishment of a shockingly disuniform public school system that greatly disadvantages African-American students. 

“All children deserve equal access to high-quality, well-resourced public schools, regardless of a child’s race or the race of her classmates. 

“For far too long, Mississippi has flouted federal law by subjecting African American children to an education inferior to the education received by white students in the state.”