Six Florida A&M University students have filed a class-action lawsuit against the state seeking to end alleged funding inequalities between Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and other Florida schools, including Florida State University.
The federal lawsuit filed Sept. 22 in the Northern District of Florida calls on the State University System Board of Governors to rectify what plaintiffs say is a funding gap amounting to hundreds of millions of dollars owed to FAMU over the last four decades.
“Throughout its history and up to the present day, Florida has purposefully engaged in a pattern and practice of racial discrimination, principally through disparate funding, that has prevented HBCUs, including FAMU, from achieving parity with their traditionally white institution (TWI) counterparts,” the complaint states.
The aim of the litigation is to secure funding for past discriminatory policies and to ensure that funding policies are equalized in the future, according to one of the plaintiffs’ attorneys.
“We are eager to rectify both the historical disparities and level up for going forward,” Barbara Hart, an attorney with Grant & Eisenhofer P.A., told the Florida Record.
The lawsuit points to a 1998 agreement between Florida and the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights that mandates the dismantling of what the plaintiffs characterize as a segregated system of higher education. Historically, minority students have had inadequate support services and access to educational programs, the complaint says.
“Defendants have failed to meet their obligations under the partnership agreement and their constitutional obligations under the equal protection clause, Title VI and other applicable law,” the lawsuit states. “Plaintiffs bring this action seeking to enjoin defendants fom continuing their pattern and practice of discrimination against FAMU.”
The plaintiffs also allege that capital projects and improvements to facilities at HBCUs typically take a decade longer to complete than similar projects at TWIs. The lawsuit seeks to have the state achieve parity in funding among the universities within five years and to appoint a special referee or mediator to craft a plan to correct the alleged constitutional violations.