Recent lawsuit against Camden schools may really be about school vouchers

Laura Waters:

This past Monday, parents of three young Camden City Public Schools students filed a class action complaint with N.J. Education Commissioner Chris Cerf. The parents contend that enrollment in Camden's bleak public school system constitutes a breach of their children's constitutional right to a "thorough and efficient public education system."

Are the parents' children being denied their constitutional rights? Sure. Twenty-three of Camden's 26 schools are on the State's list of our worst schools (the bottom 5 percent). Based on SAT scores, less than 1 percent of Camden High School's graduates are ready for college. One plaintiff has a twelve-year-old son, Keanu Vargas, who attends 7th grade at Pyne Point Family School. The most recent data from the N.J. DOE (2010-2011) shows that hardly any kids at Pyne Point pass the state standardized tests in language arts and math. Forty-two percent of the student body was suspended during the year.

Not so hard to make an argument that Keanu doesn't have access to a decent education system. By way of contrast, at Cherry Hill Public Schools, a mere seven miles away, just about all kids achieve proficiency on state tests.

Related Homeless and hungry: Sobering images of Camden, New Jersey, expose the poverty plaguing the United States' most destitute city.

Posted by Jim Zellmer at October 19, 2012 2:12 AM
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