Judge throws out Lower Merion School District discrimination suit

A judge last week ruled students in Lower Merion School District could not prove their discrimination claims, resulting in the suit being tossed.

The federal lawsuit centers around claims that the school district systematically discriminated against African American students by putting them in special education programs and the lowest level classes.

“Here, plaintiffs offer no evidence that the errors on the part of the School District were causally connected to the plaintiffs’ race. While plaintiffs may have a cause of action under the IDEA, the errors shown here do not advance plaintiffs’ case that they were subjected to intentional racial discrimination,” reads Judge Harvey Bartle III’s decision, as cited in the Main Line Times.

The suit was filed on behalf of seven students in 2007, and class action certification was denied in 2009. It’s not clear whether the students will appeal to the Third Circuit Appeals Court.