Today in San Francisco Superior Court, the San Francisco Board of Education was ordered to set aside Resolution 212-2A1, the February 9 decision that sought to eliminate academic admissions at Lowell High School. The Friends of Lowell Foundation led this successful lawsuit.
The court of Judge Ethan Schulman found that the resolution violated the Brown Act by failing to disclose the nature of the decision to be taken in the board meeting agenda where the resolution was adopted, and accordingly nullifies the resolution. The Board of Education has 30 days to confirm it has set aside the resolution in compliance with the court order.
"This decision is a victory for San Francisco students and parents, who benefit from having a strong academic high school in the city," said Christine Linnenbach, lead counsel for the successful lawsuit. "We have held the San Francisco Board of Education accountable for their failure to give adequate public notice of their intention to end merit-based admissions at Lowell High School."
The Ralph M. Brown Act, adopted in 1953, requires that California public agencies, such as the San Francisco Board of Education, hold their meetings in public, on a regular schedule, and following an agenda published in advance of the meeting. Public agencies are prohibited from acting on items that are not on the agenda.
"We thank the court for its action today, and we are grateful to our co-plaintiffs the Lowell Alumni Association and Asian American Legal Foundation," said Friends of Lowell Vice President Lee Cheng. "Today's action is only a temporary victory for San Francisco students, as the SF Board of Education could still threaten Lowell High School. We must continue to tell the school board to end their lawless ways. Ending academic admissions at Lowell hurts student achievement, drives families and taxpayers out of the city, and does nothing to advance real opportunity for underserved communities."
ABOUT THE FRIENDS OF LOWELL FOUNDATION
The Friends of Lowell Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization formed in 2021 to make academic merit-based public education available to as many children in San Francisco as possible. More information and donation opportunities can be found at www.friendsoflowell.org and www.facebook.com/friendsoflowell.
Source: https://www.newswire.com/news/san-francisco-board-of-education-ordered-to-set-aside-lowell-21558085
