|
Pacific Legal Foundation filed a federal civil rights lawsuit on
behalf of the American Alliance for Equal Rights challenging the
Minority Teachers for Illinois Scholarship Program, saying it
discriminates against non-minorities.
The program awards scholarships of up to $7,500 per year for
tuition, fees, commuter allowances, and room and board for up to
four academic years of full-time college enrollment. According
to the scholarship’s website, awards made under the program are
intended to “help diversify the teaching pool and provide a
supply of well-qualified and diverse teachers for hard-to-staff
schools.”
The law states that at least 35% of the fund appropriated for
scholarships shall be reserved for male minority applicants,
with priority being given to qualified Black male applicants
beginning with fiscal year 2023.
PLF attorney Erin Wilcox said the scholarship, which has been
around since 1992, is a clear violation of the 14th Amendment’s
equal protection clause.
“It’s taxpayer-funded scholarships that are reupped every year
by the legislature and they reappropriate new funds for it every
year and the constitution is pretty explicit that the government
cannot discriminate on the basis of race, and that is exactly
what Illinois is doing with this scholarship,” said Wilcox.
The lawsuit claims the program discriminates against those who
are not American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian, Black or
African American, Hispanic or Latino, or Native Hawaiian or
other Pacific Islander, and “who could otherwise contribute to a
robust teacher pipeline.”
“Illinois can offer assistance to young, aspiring teachers, but
not when they exclude a significant number of applicants based
on their skin color,” said Wilcox.
A request for comment from the Illinois Student Assistance
Commission, which administers the scholarships, was not
immediately returned. |
|
