In Alabama, African-American children who were orphaned or neglected were routinely sent to live at a “reform school” for juvenile offenders, because state-licensed homes were segregated and few would accept black children. An early SPLC lawsuit changed that practice, opening the doors of such homes to all children in need.
The SPLC has reached an agreement with Florida’s Polk County School Board that will ensure children held at the Central County Jail receive an appropriate education vital to helping them return to their communities.
A federal judge denied a motion today by the Birmingham Police Department in Alabama to dismiss an SPLC lawsuit challenging the use of pepper spray on Birmingham public schoolchildren – a ruling that allows the case to move forward.
An Alabama law gave tax breaks to families transferring their children to successful schools, discriminating against impoverished students in the state’s Black Belt region who were trapped in failing schools. The SPLC asked a federal court to permanently block the Alabama Accountability Act, saying the law violated the 14th Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause because it impermissibly created two classes of students assigned to failing schools – those who can escape them because of their parents’ income or where they live and those who cannot.
An Alabama law that gives tax breaks to families transferring their children to successful schools discriminates against impoverished students in the state’s Black Belt region who are trapped in failing schools, according to a federal lawsuit filed today by the SPLC.
The SPLC praised Alabama’s top public school official for taking action today to ensure students are not blocked or discouraged from enrolling because they lack a Social Security number, a U.S. birth certificate or a parent with a state driver’s license.
El Programa de acción de la comunidad del condado de Jefferson (JEFFCAP) se ha comprometido a tomar las medidas necesarias para garantizar que los niños latinos en edad preescolar gocen del mismo acceso al programa Head Start. JEFFCAP extendió la fecha límite de solicitud para darles a las familias del condado de Jefferson la oportunidad de aplicar para un puesto en el programa. Otras medidas incluyen la prestación de capacitación y asistencia técnica y al personal para asegurar prácticas justas de inscripción.
The SPLC has reached an agreement to improve equal access to Louisiana’s Jefferson Parish Head Start program, which had prevented impoverished Latino preschoolers from enrolling – a violation of federal laws and regulations. (en Español)
An agreement with Mobile County Public Schools in Alabama will reduce out-of-school suspensions for minor misbehavior and provide alternative forms of discipline – steps that will resolve a 2011 federal lawsuit filed by the SPLC on behalf of seven students.
A star high school student discovered that a discriminatory anti-immigrant policy would derail his college dreams. But with the SPLC’s intervention, his plans are back on track.
