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Chris Williams
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ST. PAUL, Minn. Nov. 6, 2015 – Education Minnesota released the following statement in response to the desegregation lawsuit filed Nov. 5 in Hennepin County District Court.

“Educators care deeply about the disparities in educational and economic attainment across our state and welcome any paths for improvement, including those through the courts.
 
“The schools in the seven-county metro area have become more racially and economically segregated during the past 30 years, to the detriment of all our students. This segregation was caused by the decisions of many people at the state and local levels, in many roles, over many years.
 
“The lawsuit filed Nov. 5 in Hennepin County District Court describes the disparities and asks the courts to take sweeping remedial action. Education Minnesota will have no comment on those remedies until its experts complete a deeper analysis, but the educators of Minnesota support the strategy of raising academic achievement of all students by reducing racial and economic segregation.
 
“Education Minnesota agrees with the plaintiffs that the most difficult problems facing our students, including intractable opportunity gaps, cannot be solved by educators alone. Only through a concerted effort, by everyone who cares about Minnesota’s children and our state’s future, to simultaneously improve policies for health care, housing, transportation, employment and education can we achieve our goal of preparing every Minnesota child for a successful life.”

About Education Minnesota
Education Minnesota is the voice for professional educators and students. Education Minnesota’s members include teachers and education support professionals in Minnesota’s public school districts, faculty members at Minnesota’s community and technical colleges and University of Minnesota campuses in Duluth and Crookston, retired educators and student teachers. Education Minnesota is affiliated with the American Federation of Teachers, National Education Association and AFL-CIO.