HARTFORD Conn.
A judge on Wednesday approved a plan to add magnet schools and school-choice options in the Hartford area to settle a long-standing lawsuit over racial isolation in the city’s schools, lawyers for both sides said.
The deal reached in April requires the state to develop a detailed plan to address racial disparity. It calls for more magnet schools in Hartford suburbs and an increase in the number of spots available in suburban schools for Hartford students.
The agreement also requires that at least 80 percent of Hartford students who want to attend integrated schools be accommodated by 2012.
The decision by Superior Court Judge Marshall Berger Jr. was the last step needed to implement the agreement.
“This significant step marks another key juncture in ending racial isolation and raising educational achievement in the Hartford Schools,” Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal said.
The legislature’s Education Committee overwhelmingly approved the settlement during this year’s regular legislative session.
