Justice Department Sues N.Y.C. Over Custodian Hiring Practices

The U.S. Department of Justice has filed civil charges against the New York City school board for its practices in hiring school custodians.

The discrimination charges were filed last week after a four-year federal investigation, which found that at least 90 percent of applicants hired for custodial jobs in the district were white men. The suit would force the district to try to hire qualified minority and women applicants and provide compensation for candidates who were given unlawful written exams for the job, said Brenda Berlin, a lawyer for the Justice Department.

The district employed 865 custodians in 1993, 92 percent of whom were white, according to the lawsuit. In addition, the school board, personnel director, and personnel department had enacted policies that made it difficult for administrators to recruit minorities and...