Education A National Roundup

Federal Judges Nix Kamehameha Policy

By Linda Jacobson — August 09, 2005 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

The practice by the private Kamehameha Schools in Hawaii of restricting admission to children of Native Hawaiian descent is discriminatory, a federal appeals court ruled last week.

Judge Jay S. Bybee, writing for a two-judge majority of a panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9thCircuit, in San Francisco, said that “the schools’ admissions policy, which operates in practice as an absolute bar to admission for those of the nonpreferred race, constitutes unlawful race discrimination” and violates the Civil Rights Act of 1866.

The plaintiff, known only as John Doe, twice applied to the schools, which serve about 6,500 students in preschool through 12th grade on three Hawaiian islands. But when he completed a required “ethnic-ancestry survey,” his application was denied. “We’ll continue to fight for our rights in the courts to serve these students, on our campuses and in our island communities,” Jay Mailer, the chief executive officer of Kamehameha Schools, said in a statement.

The private schools, founded in 1887, are supported by a $6 billion trust, endowed by Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop, a great-granddaughter of the king who united the Hawaiian islands in 1810.

A version of this article appeared in the August 10, 2005 edition of Education Week

Events

Jobs Virtual Career Fair for Teachers and K-12 Staff
Find teaching jobs and other jobs in K-12 education at the EdWeek Top School Jobs virtual career fair.
Ed-Tech Policy Webinar Artificial Intelligence in Practice: Building a Roadmap for AI Use in Schools
AI in education: game-changer or classroom chaos? Join our webinar & learn how to navigate this evolving tech responsibly.
Education Webinar Developing and Executing Impactful Research Campaigns to Fuel Your Ed Marketing Strategy 
Develop impactful research campaigns to fuel your marketing. Join the EdWeek Research Center for a webinar with actionable take-aways for companies who sell to K-12 districts.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Education Briefly Stated: February 21, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
8 min read
Education Briefly Stated: February 7, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
8 min read
Education Briefly Stated: January 31, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
9 min read
Education Briefly Stated: January 17, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
9 min read