Supreme Court Rejects Appeal on Boston Schools’ Admissions Policy Amid Affirmative Action Debate

Judge with gavel and Supreme Court nameplate.

The Supreme Court’s refusal to hear an appeal from Boston parents over alleged racial bias in elite high school admissions has sparked controversy and debate.

At a Glance

  • Supreme Court rejected an appeal challenging Boston’s temporary school admissions policy
  • Policy was claimed to discriminate against White and Asian students
  • Admissions were based on student performance and ZIP codes instead of entrance exams
  • Justices Alito and Thomas dissented, criticizing the decision
  • Case highlights ongoing debate over race in school admissions

Supreme Court Declines to Hear Boston School Admissions Case

The U.S. Supreme Court has rejected an appeal from Boston parents regarding a temporary admissions policy for elite high schools, which was alleged to discriminate against White and Asian students. The Boston School Committee had temporarily removed the entrance exam for these schools due to COVID-19 safety concerns, opting instead for a system based on student performance and ZIP codes.

This decision comes in the wake of the Supreme Court’s recent ruling on affirmative action in college admissions, adding fuel to the ongoing debate about race-conscious policies in education. The case involved Boston’s prestigious exam schools: Boston Latin School, Boston Latin Academy, and the John D. O’Bryant School of Mathematics and Science.

Controversial Policy and Legal Challenge

In 2020, these schools suspended entrance exams due to the pandemic, implementing a system that considered students’ grades and the socioeconomic profile of their neighborhoods. This change led to a decrease in the admission of White and Asian students, prompting the Boston Parent Coalition for Academic Excellence to file a lawsuit in 2021.

“The parents and students do not challenge Boston’s new policy, nor do they suggest that the city is simply biding its time, intent on reviving the old policy. Strictly speaking, those developments may not moot this case. But, to my mind, they greatly diminish the need for our review.” – Justice Neil Gorsuch

Lower courts ruled that the admissions criteria were racially neutral, and the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals determined that the Supreme Court’s decision on race-conscious college admissions did not affect Boston’s temporary policy. The Boston School Committee argued that the case was irrelevant as the policy was temporary and had ended before the Supreme Court’s affirmative action decision.

Dissenting Opinions and Ongoing Debate

Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas dissented from the decision to uphold the policy, with Alito criticizing the lower court’s ruling as a constitutional error. He suggested that it perpetuates race-based affirmative action, calling it “a glaring constitutional error that threatens to perpetuate race-based affirmative action in defiance of” the Supreme Court’s recent decisions.

Justice Neil Gorsuch, while expressing concerns about the policy, stated that the court did not need to hear the case since the policy had been revised. The temporary policy was in place for one year and was replaced with a standardized testing plan for the 2022-2023 school year.

This case underscores the ongoing national debate over the role of race in school admissions, particularly in light of the Supreme Court’s recent decision in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard, which ruled that using race in college admissions violated the 14th Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause. As schools and universities grapple with these changes, the discussion about ensuring diversity and equal opportunity in education remains at the forefront of public discourse.

Sources:

  1. Supreme Court rejects Boston parents’ appeal claiming racial bias in an admissions policy
  2. Supreme Court rejects appeal from Boston parents over race bias in elite high school admissions
  3. Supreme Court rejects appeal from Boston parents over race bias in elite high school admissions
  4. Supreme Court rejects appeal from Boston parents over race bias in elite high school admissions

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