LDF Charges Bias in Licensing of School Supervisory Personnel

    President 

Hon. Francis E. Rivers 
PRESS: RELEASE ———“aeaortaal 

es Jack Greenberg 

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—LDF CHARGES -BIAS IN 

LICENSING OF SCHOOL 
SUPERVWSORY PERSONNEL 

Suit Against Board of Examiners Alleges 
-=Tests-Violate-Federal-and-State Law-—_—___—_____— 

NEW YORK, N. y.---Exeminations for public school supervisory personnel 
~ in New York City discriminate against qualified-Blacks and Puerto 

‘Bieaaee Ricans, accor g to a “complaint filed ‘today an U.S District Court 

— = -..for the Southern District of New York.———__——.--— a eas 

Representing the plaintiffs in a class action in behalf of all 

Black and Puerto Rican pedagogic personnel in the system, attorneys 

of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF) charge 
that the licensing tests of the Board of Examiners result in racial 
Sob classificat 3c Llassificati 

- . = aie the following manner against Black anda 

candidates: 

1. written tests are culturally biased 

>—orai—tests have frequently eliminated candidates with 

southern or Hispanic accents 
interview panels ere virtually all white and are composed 

_of present supervisors. 

The attorneys state that the tests have never been shown to 
a candidate's ability to do the therefore are in 

m of the State constitution and 5 Gucation lav 

tests to measure merit and fitne 

According +o the complaint, the exclusionary nature of the 
examinations is ati:ested to by the fact that out of abort 1000 
licensed princip pals in the city's schools, only 11 are Black and 
only one vis Puerto Rican. ; Buescher: the percentege of Black and 

such as principals and ge 

American ee - 

Plaintiffs named 2, the ometss a ee Boston M. Chance, acting 

Sipe sat 125. S is Black, and Louis C. 

Z acting principal a: >. S. “75. retrice 3, who is Puerto Rican. Both 

P.S. 104 and 75 are elementaxy schools. 

Wes “ED? s-asting fon a Sliminary aad permanent injunction 

against the holding of examinations for elementary school principal 

(the written. portion of which is scheduled for November 3, Election 

Day) and all other future supervisory examinations which do not 

have demonstrated validity. 

There are now 40 Acting Principals who are Black or Puerto Rican, 

such as the plaintiffs, and if another ex mination is given ana they 

do not pass, they are out of a job, notwithstanding @ quality of 

their performance at their schools, and despite their appointment 

by community boards in cooperation with the parent associations of 

their schools. z 

_._ LDF attorneys are asking further that no examination be given 

which is not strictJy in accordance with ths Board of Education's 
academic and experiential standards. : 



<= LDF CHARGES BIAS IN. ac ae Ee 

LICENSING OF SCHOOL = stres= 

Hed ~ “SUPERVISORY PERSONNEL — SS SS September 24, 1970. 

The Board of Examiners is composed. of Ae members, four of whom 

serve for life. The Board's function is to prepare and administer 
j= licensing examinations for-all New vork City teaching and supervisory 

personnel. 

Now York City is the only school district in the state which has 
a board of examiners. In almost all others, state certification alone 

—_=gualifies the applicant for-s sery—pesit-tion: (Messrs. Chance 
and Mercado have state certification.) 

sd Attorneys for the plaintiffs are LDF Director-Counsel Jack 
Greenberg; LDF Assistant Counsel Stephen G. Young, Elizabeth B. DuBois, 
and Jonathan Shapiro; and Columbia University Law School Professor 
George Cooper. z 

For turther information,-contact attorney Young at 212-Ju 6-8397. 

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NOTE: Please bear in mind that the LDF is a completely separate and— 
j () Gaistinct organization even though we were established by the 

| and_those initials are retained in-onr name. 
is NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, 

lL; shortened to LDF.