Lawsuit alleges state failure to provide equal education

State officials do not make sure all students receive a high quality education, according to a class action lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of Florida.

The suit alleges that at least a third - and possibly as many as half - of Palm Beach County's students do not graduate on time with a regular diploma, well below both state and national averages.  

 "Palm Beach County is clearly not upholding its responsibility to provide a quality education to all of its students when so many of them are not graduating," said Chris Hansen, senior staff attorney with the ACLU, in a press release. "The problem in Palm Beach County is reflective of a broad national problem of poor graduation rates, and state officials must be held accountable for failing our children."

The lawsuit, filed on behalf of parents and students in Palm Beach County, charges that state officials violated the state's constitutional requirement that all students receive a "uniform, efficient, safe, secure and high quality" free public education.

The ACLU said in the suit it wants the school district to improve its graduation rates without pushing students out of the system.

The Palm Beach School District has 170,215 students in 186 schools, according to the suit. The graduation rates varied between 56 percent and 71 percent in 2006.