STATE SUED OVER FAILURE TO DISCLOSE RECORDS ON ENGLISH LEARNER STUDENTS

Original article appeared in East County Magazine.

by east county news service

August 17, 2015 (Sacramento)–California’s Department of Education is being sued for denying access to records on the number of students who are English language learners.  The Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area and Public Counsel has filed a lawsuit in Sacramento County Superior Court to obtain the records pursuant to the California Public Records Act.
“No state agency is above the law,” said Travis Silva with the lawyers’ group, the Sacramento Bee reports. The Department of Education told the Bee it had not reviewed the case yet and would reserve comments.
Records on English learner students are crucial to monitor schools’ progress, among other things.  The case could have ramifications locally, since San Diego and East County are home to many immigrant and refugee students from Iraq, Mexico and other places who are English as a second language students.