Judge Boasberg stated that, “In this case, there is no evidence whatsoever of any intent to discriminate on the part of Defendants, who are actually transferring children out of weaker, more segregated, and under-enrolled schools.”

District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) Chancellor Kaya Henderson and District of Columbia Attorney General Irvin B. Nathan welcomed a decision today by United States District Judge James E. Boasberg denying a motion for a preliminary injunction that sought to prevent DCPS from continuing with a school consolidation plan to provide a better education for all students.

In a 31-page opinion, analyzing each of plaintiffs’ claims, Judge Boasberg stated that, “In this case, there is no evidence whatsoever of any intent to discriminate on the part of Defendants, who are actually transferring children out of weaker, more segregated, and under-enrolled schools.” The court concluded that the plaintiffs’  “children—along with thousands of others—are moving to better performing, more integrated schools.” The Court found that plaintiffs had no likelihood of succeeding on any one of their several claims.

Chancellor Henderson said, “Judge Boasberg’s opinion today allows DCPS to move forward with our critical work to improve all our schools and provide more resources across the District.”

Attorney General Nathan commented that the judge’s “powerfully written decision amply demonstrates that plaintiffs have no likelihood of success on the merits. In light of  this finding,  we think it would be much more productive if the community activists would work with the city to make these consolidations work for the best educational interests of our children and allow our educators to focus on that difficult task and not be diverted by meritless litigation.”