Bramnick backs constitutional amendment that require students to attend hometown school

A lawsuit alleging that the segregation of New Jersey public schools is unconstitutional has led to renewed interest in a constitutional amendment proposed by State Sen. Jon Bramnick (R-Westfield) that would prohibit any student from being obligated to attend public school other than the one closest to where they live.

“Parents need to be aware of the court case and need for this constitutional amendment,” Bramnick said.

The proposal mandates that  “no student shall be compelled to attend a public school other than the public school nearest the residence of the student, which public school is located within the school district in which the student resides and provides the course of study pursued by the student.”

The Latino Action Network and the NAACP allege that a requirement that students remain in the geographic confines of their hometown school district makes New Jersey schools among the most segregated in the U.S.

Superior Court Judge Robert Lougy held a hearing on the matter last week but has not made any ruling.

The lawsuit, filed by attorney Lawrence Lustberg, suggested that the state could desegregate public schools through the regionalization of local school districts or through the establishment of magnet schools.

Bramnick first introduced his proposal in 2019, months after the lawsuit was filed, but it never moved out of the Assembly Education Committee.