The Utica City School District has settled a lawsuit with New York state over allegations that it denied equal education opportunities to some refugee and immigrant students. The school district had diverted some foreign students to an alternative education program that taught them English, which the lawsuit claimed was inferior.
The settlement requires Utica schools to develop new enrollment procedures and provide compensatory educational services to all students delayed or denied enrollment during the past four years. The district reached an agreement with the New York Civil Liberties Union in a separate lawsuit filed over the matter in May.
About 18 percent of Utica's 60,000 residents were born outside of the United States and more than 25 percent speak a language other than English at home.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
