LOS ANGELES – Attorneys representing students and parents at three struggling Los Angeles schools released the following statement in response to the California Court of Appeal’s decision earlier today in Reed vs. UTLA. The following statement is from Catherine Lhamon, Director of Impact Litigation at Public Counsel; Mark Rosenbaum, Chief Counsel at the ACLU of Southern California; and Sean Gates of Morrison & Foerster LLP:
“We are disappointed by the California Court of Appeal’s majority opinion in Reed vs. UTLA. The facts are clear that when students at struggling schools lose their teachers to layoffs, they also lose their chance at a quality education. The superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District testified that without this injunction he could not deliver an equal education to students at some schools. Yet the court did not consider that testimony and those facts in its opinion.
“The majority opinion turns entirely on procedural issues and did not address the trial court’s findings that the constitutional rights of LAUSD’s students would be violated without judicial intervention.
“We will be filing a petition for review asking the California Supreme Court to examine this case. Our Supreme Court has a long history of respecting the constitutional rights of schoolchildren, and we’re hopeful they will hear this case.
“Until that happens, the agreement protecting students at 45 schools from teacher layoffs remains in place.”
###
