Worcester Organizations Join Statewide Education Lawsuit Against Massachusetts
By What’s Up Worcester Staff
WORCESTER, Mass. Public school students and community organizations, including two Worcester-based organizations, have filed a lawsuit against Massachusetts state education officials alleging that the state is violating its Constitution by maintaining racially segregated school districts that concentrate poverty and deny Black and Latino students equal and adequate educational opportunity.
The case, Batchelor, et al. v. Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, et al., was filed May 20, 2026, in Suffolk County Superior Court, according to Lawyers for Civil Rights and the public complaint.
The plaintiffs include nine students and four community organizations from across Massachusetts. The communities named in the announcement include Springfield, Holyoke, Boston, Lawrence, Brockton, Lynn, and Worcester. The organizational plaintiffs are Essex County Community Organization, Worcester Interfaith, YWCA of Central Massachusetts, and Out Now.
The defendants named in the complaint include the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, Commissioner Pedro Martinez, the Executive Office of Education, Secretary of Education Stephen Zrike Jr., the Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, and board chair Katherine Craven.
The lawsuit asks the court to declare that the state’s public school system violates students’ constitutional rights and to require the state to provide Black and Latino students with adequate and equal educational opportunity. The court has not ruled on those claims.
The plaintiffs are represented by Lawyers for Civil Rights, Brown’s Promise, and pro bono counsel from WilmerHale.
According to Lawyers for Civil Rights, the lawsuit argues that Massachusetts operates a two-tiered education system. The plaintiffs allege that, while Massachusetts is home to some highly rated public schools, many districts serving primarily Black and Latino students face high concentrations of poverty and fewer educational opportunities.
The complaint alleges that state laws and policies largely limit students to the school districts where they live. The plaintiffs argue that this structure, combined with long-standing residential segregation, restricts many Black and Latino students to high-poverty districts while limiting access to nearby districts with more resources.
“Segregation in Massachusetts schools is the predictable result of policies the state has enacted and maintained for years,” Jillian Lenson, senior attorney at Lawyers for Civil Rights, said in the announcement. “Our Constitution promises every child an equal and adequate education. That promise cannot coexist with a system that isolates Black and Latino students in under-resourced districts.”
The lawsuit cites findings from the state’s Racial Imbalance Advisory Council that 63 percent of Massachusetts schools are considered “segregated” or “intensely segregated” by race. The plaintiffs also argue that Massachusetts ranks second nationally in between-district income segregation.
The filing is locally significant for Worcester because Worcester Interfaith and YWCA of Central Massachusetts are named as organizational plaintiffs. The lawsuit also identifies Worcester as one of the communities connected to the case.
The case raises questions that could affect Worcester students, families, educators, and community organizations, including how school district lines, regional education options, transportation, and access to specialized programs shape educational opportunity across the state.
The plaintiffs are asking Massachusetts to adopt a comprehensive plan to ensure that public schools are integrated. According to the announcement, the policies they support include creating more vocational technical schools that serve regional populations across district lines, expanding regional magnet school programs, supporting voluntary interdistrict transfer programs, investing in infrastructure for under-performing districts, and continuing to improve the METCO program.
Juanita Batchelor, grandmother and legal guardian of the lead plaintiff, said in the announcement that the current system does not prepare students to live and work together across differences.
“The system isn’t preparing any of our kids for the real world if it’s not preparing them to learn, play, live, and work together,” Batchelor said.
GeDá Jones Herbert, chief legal counsel at Brown’s Promise, said the plaintiffs are focused on changing what they describe as a segregated, two-tiered system.
“Massachusetts has long held itself out as a leader in public education, but for far too long Black and Latino students across the Commonwealth have not been afforded equal access to high quality schools,” Jones Herbert said.
Lisa Pirozzolo, a partner at WilmerHale, said the case asks the court to consider whether Massachusetts’ current system of school districting satisfies the state Constitution’s guarantees of an adequate education and equal protection.
A response from the state defendants was not included in the plaintiffs’ announcement. What’s Up Worcester has not independently confirmed whether the defendants have filed a formal response in court.
The case remains pending before the court.
🔍 The W.U.W. Verification Box
• Project / Topic: Batchelor, et al. v. Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, et al. education lawsuit
• Current Status: Filed in Suffolk County Superior Court
• Key Dates or Decisions: Complaint filed May 20, 2026
• Estimated Cost (if applicable): Not applicable
• Timeline (if known): Court schedule and future hearing dates are pending official confirmation
• Immediate Next Steps: The case will proceed through the court process; any state response, hearing schedule, or court action is pending official confirmation
• Primary Sources: Lawyers for Civil Rights announcement; public complaint filed in Suffolk County Superior Court; Brown’s Promise; WilmerHale
• What We Do Not Yet Know: Whether the state defendants have filed a formal response, the court’s hearing schedule, and whether the court will grant any requested relief are not yet determined
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