October 14, 2024—LA Times reporter Howard Blume spoke with Managing Attorney John Affeldt about the Los Angeles Unified School District’s decision to overhaul the $120 million Black Student Achievement Program after a targeted attack from a right wing East Coast based conservative group arguing the district is violating the law by providing resources based on race.
” ‘It remains constitutional for an agency to use ‘race-conscious remedies’ to redress its own discrimination, said John Affeldt, a managing attorney at San Francisco-based Public Advocates. “Many in the community think LAUSD should be doing more to examine and acknowledge its own contributions to prior discrimination against Black students that have continued to contribute to inequitable outcomes.'”
