U.S. Supreme Court Declines to Hear Boston Public School Admission Case, LETTING Racially-Sensitive Policy Stand
The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to take up a case challenging a racial diversity policy used to decide admissions to elite public high schools in Boston, Massachusetts. The policy, which was used for just one year during the COVID-19 pandemic, set admissions quotas based on where students lived and then ranked them based on family income and grade-point averages.
The policy, which was designed to rectify racial inequities in admissions, was used at Boston Latin School, the oldest public school in the United States. The Supreme Court’s decision not to hear the case comes despite a petition by a coalition of parents and students, represented by the Pacific Legal Foundation, who argued that the policy violated the 14th Amendment’s promise of equal protection.
The policy was put in place after city officials discussed the need to address racial disparities in admissions. Under the policy, students were assigned to one of six districts, and admissions were then determined based on a combination of factors, including family income and grade-point averages.
Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas dissented from the court’s decision, with Alito arguing that the policy amounted to “racial balancing by another name and is undoubtedly unconstitutional.”
The Boston School Committee adopted the policy and then shifted to an exam-based admission system for three selective schools in 2021, after the pandemic prevented the administration of an entrance exam. The policy had been used for just one year before it was discontinued.
The case is significant because it follows a recent Supreme Court decision that rejected race-conscious college and university admissions policies used to increase diversity. The petitioners had argued that the Boston policy was an attempt to circumvent that ruling.
The Supreme Court’s decision not to hear the case is a win for the city of Boston and its efforts to promote racial diversity in education. However, the outcome is likely to be met with disappointment by some who had hoped to use the case to challenge other race-conscious policies.
