Federal court will decide if a school in Pennsylvania can send older immigrants to an alternative school
A federal appeals court is set to decide whether a public school district in Pennsylvania can send older immigrant students to an alternative high school.
Civil rights lawyers complain the Lancaster School District is sending the 17- to 21-year-old students to a disciplinary school with fewer academic opportunities. Some of the students have been in refugee camps for years.
Several similar lawsuits have been filed around the country. The issue is set for arguments Monday afternoon in the Third US Circuit Court in Philadelphia.
Lancaster has seen an influx of refugees and immigrants, in part through resettlement programs. About 17 per cent of the district's 11,000 students are English language learners and nearly 5 percent are refugees.
The district says it offers them cutting-edge services including before-school and summer programs.