Publisher Description
Uncovers the key civil rights battle that immigrant children fought alongside the ACLU to ensure equal access to education within a xenophobic nation  Journalist Jo Napolitano delves into the landmark ACLU case in which the School District of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, was sued for refusing to admit older, non-English speaking refugees and sending them to a high-discipline alternative school. In a legal battle that mirrors the Little Rock Nine and Brown v. Board of Education, 6 brave refugee students fought alongside the ACLU to demand equal access to education. The School I Deserve illuminates the lack of support immigrant and refugee children face in our education system and presents a hopeful future where all children can receive an equal education regardless of race, ethnicity, or their country of origin. One of the students, Khadidja Issa, fled the horrific violence in war-torn Sudan with the hope of a safer life in the United States, where she could have access to an education. Instead, she was barred from enrollment by the School District of Lancaster and admitted to an alternative school with multiple abuse allegations. Napolitano follows Khadidja as she decides to join the lawsuit as the plaintiff in the Issa v. School District of Lancaster case. The fiery week-long showdown between the ACLU and the school district was ultimately decided by a conservative judge who issued a shocking ruling with historical implications. The School I Deserve brings to light the crucial and underreported legal battle that paved the way to equal access to education for countless immigrants and refugees to come.
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