While U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) touted a settlement with the Jersey City Board of Education (BOE) on July 10th, the school board is not set to vote on the terms until the end of next month.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
“Please be advised that the agreement has yet to be presented to the elected members of the Jersey City Board of Education for review and a vote. Until such a time as that occurs any documents that may exist are considered advisory, consultation and/or deliberative,” the school board said in response to an Open Public Records Act (OPRA) request.
“As such, pursuant to N. J. S. A. 47:1A-1.1 (1) the document is exempt from release. Consequently, no documents will be released at this time. It is anticipated that the agreement will be presented to the district Board of Education for consideration at the August 27, 2026 meeting.”
The DOJ did not return an email seeking comment on Friday morning.
Two weeks ago, the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division said that had reached a voluntary settlement with the Jersey City BOE over “race and national origin discrimination” in student admissions at McNair Academic High School.
“Quota systems that define students by their race or national origin have been illegal since the 1970s,” Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division said at the time.
“Federal law requires that all students, regardless of their race or national origin, be allowed to compete for admission to the best schools in their district – and this Department of Justice will ensure they have equal opportunity to do so.”
The DOJ investigation determined that McNair admitted students under a quota system that set aside a certain number of seats in four categories: “Black,” “White,” “Hispanic,” or “Other.”
According to the DOJ, the Jersey City BOE had agreed to end this type of admissions process, no longer providing preference or benefits based on an applicant’s race.
School officials previously didn’t respond to inquiries seeking comment, which makes sense now given that there is an upcoming vote on the subject, though it is more than likely going to be a formality.
