Newark Parents Ask New Jersey Supreme Court to Hear Lawsuit, Continuing Fight for Educational Justice

Newark, NJ – The plaintiffs in HG v. Harrington filed a request to appeal their case to the New Jersey Supreme Court, urging the state’s highest court to review and overturn the lower court‘s decision to dismiss the matter. The plaintiff parents assert that the ongoing harm the state’s quality-blind layoff laws inflict on their children justifies their right to have their case move forward and be determined on the merits. The plaintiffs’ filing can be found here.

“New Jersey’s courts have acknowledged that students have but one chance to receive a constitutionally adequate education, and that right, once lost, cannot be reclaimed. These parents know that their children, and every child in Newark, deserve that chance. We are honored to be working alongside these courageous parents, who have refused to tolerate unjust laws that force Newark public schools to divert limited resources away from their children’s classrooms and deprive students the quality education they deserve,” said Alissa Bernstein, Executive Director of Partnership for Educational Justice.

HG v. Harrington is a parent-led lawsuit that asks the courts to declare New Jersey’s “last in, first out” (LIFO) quality-blind teacher layoff statutes unconstitutional. These seniority-based layoff laws unjustly require Newark, a struggling school district, to retain ineffective teachers, while cutting millions of dollars each year from other areas of education spending or laying off more effective teachers when faced with funding deficits.

About Partnership for Educational Justice (PEJ)

PEJ pursues educational equity through legal action to improve the quality of public schools. PEJ utilizes a variety of legal actions to achieve its mission, including pursuing impact litigation, amicus brief filings, Freedom of Information Act requests, and other law-related avenues that seek to achieve meaningful reforms of education laws or policies that fail to prioritize students’ rights. PEJ is an affiliate of the national education nonprofit 50CAN: 50-State Campaign for Achievement Now, which advocates at the local level for a high-quality education for all kids, regardless of their address.