Parents Involved in Community Schools v. Seattle School District No. 1

Parents Involved in Community Schools v. Seattle School District No. 1, 551 U.S. 701 (2007), is a landmark decision of the United States Supreme Court.

School districts in Seattle and Louisville used race as a tiebreaker in assigning students to schools to maintain racial balance. Parents challenged the plans as violating the Equal Protection Clause. The districts argued that the plans were necessary to achieve diversity and reduce racial isolation.

Significance

Chief Justice Roberts’ plurality opinion held that the school districts’ racial classifications failed strict scrutiny. The districts had not identified a compelling interest — racial balancing for its own sake was not permitted, and the plans were not narrowly tailored. Justice Kennedy’s concurrence left open the possibility that school districts could consider race in more limited ways to achieve diversity. The decision limited but did not eliminate the use of race in K-12 school assignments.

Category

US Federal Case Law