Liv Ames for EdSource

Liv Ames for EdSource

Two civil rights groups are suing the California Department of Education for refusing to release the number – by individual school district – of English learner students who accept non tested proficient in English afterwards six years.

The Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights and Public Counsel today filed a lawsuit in Sacramento County Superior Court to force the department to release the documents.

California Section of Education officials declined to annotate because they had notwithstanding to review the lawsuit, said Tina Jung, a department spokeswoman.

A 2022 country law requires the department to compile the statewide number of long-term English learners — those who accept been in schools for six or more than years and not tested expert in English — and provide districts' numbers straight to the districts.

In February, the civil rights groups filed a public records asking to seek the numbers of long-term English learners in 26 school districts, including the state'southward largest, Los Angeles Unified. Only the department declined to release the documents, stating they may be exempt. The Lawyers' Committee sent a second request, which was ignored, according to the lawsuit.

The civil rights groups wanted the information to assistance parent groups every bit they adult plans for English learners, said Travis Silva, an attorney for the Lawyers' Commission for Civil Rights.

"They are required to produce this data by statute," Silva said. "By definition, it is public unless in that location is a legal reason they can justify withholding it and in that location'south non."

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