The U.S. Supreme Court agreed on Monday to hear a challenge to the lottery-based admissions policy at four competitive magnet middle schools in Maryland, a case that could set new ground rules for race and enrollment in K-12 schools.
The case, Association for Education Fairness v. Montgomery County Board of Education, was brought by a coalition of parents who say the policy discriminates against Asian American students. A lower court had rejected that claim. The justices are expected to hear arguments and rule by the end of June.
The magnet schools serve high-achieving students in sixth through eighth grades. According to reporting from The Center Square, the county switched to a lottery system in 2020 for students scoring at or above the 85th percentile in local testing, as part of an effort to widen enrollment of Black and Hispanic students. The parents argue the shift cut off access for pupils from high-performing, low-poverty elementary schools, leaving Asian American applicants behind.
The dispute is the latest legal test of how selective public schools can pursue diversity after the Supreme Court’s 2023 ruling that struck down race-conscious admissions at colleges and universities.
Source: Reuters
