On July 31, 2014, the first statewide case seeking to uphold the right to equal educational services for English learners in California will go to trial before Judge Chalfant of the Los Angeles Superior Court. The petitioners in this case allege that the State of California and its various agencies and offices violated federal and state law by doing nothing in response to widespread, public reports by school districts that they are failing to provide up to 20,000 English learners with required language instructional services.
After the lawsuit was filed, the state changed its reporting method to eliminate the option for districts to self-report that they are not providing required instructional services and California no longer publishes the reporting results. Petitioners seek to hold the state accountable for their glaring inaction, which holds English learners back from achieving their full educational potential. At a pre-trial hearing in May, Advancing Justice - LA joined with ACLU-SC, Public Counsel, and Latham and Watkins to seek a judgment requiring California to fulfill its constitutional and statutory duty to ensure that English learner students receive basic instructional services.
