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As Lawsuit Moves Forward, Many Immigrant Students in Collier Waiting to Join Classrooms

Photo: Christopher Connell via Flickr Creative Commons

Many immigrant students in Collier County continue to be re-directed to language programs at technical colleges, rather than enrolled in public high school classes. It's a practice the Southern Poverty Law Center alleges in a lawsuit brought last year denies the students an education and the chance to build credits toward a high school diploma.

The Department of Justice in October said the lawsuit should move forward after school district lawyers asked for it to be dismissed. School board officials cite policies that would not allow students to enroll "because they could not complete high school by age 19."

Wednesday at 1 p.m. on Gulf Coast Live, Southern Poverty Law Center attorney Michelle Lapointe, representing  the families in the class action lawsuit against Collier County School District, explains the latest developments of the case and how similar cases are are popping up across the country. 

Also joining the program is Bob Sorenson with the Gulf Coast Literacy Council to explain the challenges students learning English as a second language face in classrooms across Southwest Florida.

Matthew Smith is a reporter and producer of WGCU’s Gulf Coast Live.
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  1. DOJ: Immigrant Students' Discrimination Lawsuit Against Collier Schools Should Proceed