NAACP Says Lawsuit Doesn't Seek End to AP, Honors Classes

Local NAACP unit president Thomas Puryear said Tuesday that a possible lawsuit against the South Orange -Maplewood school district seeking to end "leveled" classes would not mean an end to honors or AP classes.

The local NAACP unit, representing the Oranges and Maplewood, voted unanimously last week to ask its national office to file suit against the school district, claiming that the district's policy of putting students in separate classes based on their academic achievement (or "leveling") amounted to illegal "racial segregation." In his remarks Monday to Patch, Puryear included Advanced Placement in potential deleveling scenarios.

But in an e-mail message Tuesday, he explained that he believed AP and honors classes would still be available in a "deleveled" district. He wrote, "Advanced Placement courses as well as honor classes could and should exist within a deleveled school district.  A deleveled enterprise would provide equal opportunities all students within the school district."

In a phone interview on July 12, Puryear described the current system of levels—known in many districts as "tracking"—as "damaging." Noting that the district voted in June to de-level seventh grades in both middle schools, Puryear described that effort as "modest," and "not pro-active." The media release that Puryear gave out Monday explained further, stating "the Board's most recent attempt to provide equity for all students in the school district, is at best a very modest placement adjustment, while allowing past negative practices to continue. Such placement practices promote segregated classes which are illegal . . . ."

Under the school district's current leveling plan, 90% of the students in the lowest level classes are black, while only 40% of those in the highest level classes are black. The NAACP argues that those numbers show that the district is unfairly segregating students racially.

Patch has contacted the Community Coalition on Race and school district superintendent Brian Osborne for comment. Osborne's official comment on July 13 is as follows: "I have not seen details," said Osborne, referring to Mr. Puryear's and the NAACP local unit's complaint. "I look forward to working with all stakeholders to help insure the South Orange Maplewood School District is excellent and equitable for every single child."