YWCA Central Massachusetts has joined a sweeping lawsuit accusing Massachusetts of maintaining a racially segregated public school system that denies Black and Latino students equal educational opportunities.
Filed this week in Suffolk County Superior Court, the lawsuit brings together nine students and four community organizations from Worcester and other cities across the state, including Springfield, Holyoke, Boston, Lawrence, Brockton and Lynn. The complaint argues that longstanding state policies tied to district boundaries and housing segregation have created what plaintiffs describe as a “two-tiered” education system.
The case, Batchelor, et al. v. Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, et al., seeks a court order requiring the state to adopt a comprehensive plan aimed at increasing school integration and expanding educational access across district lines.
In addition to YWCA Central Massachusetts, the organizational plaintiffs include Worcester Interfaith, Essex County Community Organization and Out Now.
The lawsuit alleges that Massachusetts, despite often ranking among the nation’s top-performing states in education overall, continues to operate districts where Black and Latino students are disproportionately concentrated in high-poverty schools with fewer resources and opportunities.
“YWCA Central Massachusetts stands with students, families, and partners across the Commonwealth to demand equitable, inclusive public education for every child,” YWCA Central Massachusetts CEO Deborah Hall said in a statement released Wednesday.
“As an organization committed to eliminating racism, empowering women, and promoting peace, justice, freedom, and dignity for all, we believe every student deserves access to high-quality education, opportunities, resources, and support to achieve their potential,” Hall said.
The plaintiffs are represented by Lawyers for Civil Rights, Brown’s Promise and the law firm WilmerHale.
According to the complaint, the state’s own Racial Imbalance Advisory Council has found that 63% of Massachusetts schools are considered “segregated” or “intensely segregated” by race. The lawsuit also cites data showing Massachusetts ranks among the nation’s highest states for income segregation between school districts.
The filing argues that district-based enrollment systems, combined with longstanding housing patterns, effectively restrict many students to under-resourced schools while limiting access to nearby districts with greater resources and stronger academic outcomes.
Among the remedies proposed in the lawsuit are expanded regional vocational schools, larger interdistrict magnet school programs, increased support for voluntary transfer programs such as METCO, and greater investment in struggling districts.
Worcester Public Schools has long reflected some of those tensions. The district is one of the state’s largest and most diverse systems, serving a high percentage of low-income students, multilingual learners and students of color. Advocates have increasingly pointed to disparities in school funding, facilities and access to specialized programs across Massachusetts communities.
Integrated schools, the plaintiffs argue, benefit students academically and socially while improving long-term economic outcomes.
“Integrated schools help prepare students from all backgrounds to succeed in the real world by improving critical thinking skills, the ability to work across lines of difference, graduation rates, and chances of finding a good job,” the announcement states.
State education officials had not publicly responded to the lawsuit as of Wednesday afternoon.
This is a developing story. Refresh this page for updates.
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