The American Civil Liberties Union has filed a lawsuit that accuses a south Louisiana school district of illegally segregating male and female students.
Lawyers for the ACLU filed the federal suit Sept. 8 against the Vermilion Parish district on behalf of an unnamed parent whose two daughters were recently placed in single-sex classes at Rene A. Rost Middle School.
Schools Superintendent Randy Schexnayder said single-sex classes are voluntary. He added that about 25 percent of the middle schools students are in coed classes. But the ACLU claims the plaintiffs 8th grade daughter was told she would have to attend a special-needs class if she wanted to switch to a coed class.
All content on Education Week's websites is protected by copyright. No part of this publication shall be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means, electronic or otherwise, without the written permission of the copyright holder. Readers may make up to 5 print copies of this publication at no cost for personal, non-commercial use, provided that each includes a full citation of the source. For additional print copies, or for permission for other uses of the content, visit www.edweek.org/help/reprints-photocopies-and-licensing-of-content or email reprints@educationweek.org and include information on how you would like to use the content. Want to seamlessly share more EdWeek content with your colleagues? Contact us today at pages.edweek.org/ew-for-districts-learn-more.html to learn about how group online subscriptions can complement professional learning in your district or organization.