PEJ Statement in Response to Appellate Court Decision in HG v Harrington

Newark, NJ – The Superior Court of New Jersey’s Appellate Division today affirmed a previous decision by the trial court to dismiss HG v. Harrington in a hard fought battle for students’ rights.

“Parents who are brave enough to fight for educational justice deserve to have their day in court, and PEJ will keep fighting alongside them to make that happen,” said Alissa Bernstein, Executive Director of Partnership for Educational Justice. “New Jersey’s outdated LIFO laws have forced the Newark public school system to divert limited funds away from academic resources for students to pay ineffective teachers – and that cannot continue. While we are disappointed with the Appellate Court’s decision, we will not stop until every child in New Jersey has access to a quality education.”

HG v. Harrington is a parent-led lawsuit that asks the courts to declare New Jersey’s “last in, first out” (LIFO) quality-blind teacher layoff statutes unconstitutional. These seniority-based layoff laws unjustly require Newark, a struggling school district, to retain ineffective teachers, while cutting millions of dollars each year from other areas of education spending or laying off more effective teachers when faced with funding deficits.

About Partnership for Educational Justice (PEJ)

PEJ pursues educational equity through legal action to improve the quality of public schools. PEJ utilizes a variety of legal actions to achieve its mission, including pursuing impact litigation, amicus brief filings, Freedom of Information Act requests, and other law-related avenues that seek to achieve meaningful reforms of education laws or policies that fail to prioritize students’ rights. PEJ is an affiliate of the national education nonprofit 50CAN: 50-State Campaign for Achievement Now, which advocates at the local level for a high-quality education for all kids, regardless of their address.

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