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students of color an adequate education. In January 2016, the State moved to dismiss the lawsuit on the <br /> basis that the District Court lacked subject matter jurisdiction and that the Plaintiffs' Complaint failed to <br /> properly state a claim. After a hearing in April 2016,the District Court dismissed the Complaint only as to <br /> then-Governor Dayton, State Senator Sandra L. Pappas, and State Representative Kurt Daudt on the basis <br /> that they were entitled to legislative immunity under the Speech or Debate Clause of the Minnesota <br /> Constitution. The District Court also dismissed one of the claims under the Minnesota Human Rights Act, <br /> concluding that the Plaintiffs lacked standing to assert such a claim. Otherwise, the District Court denied <br /> the State's motion to dismiss and their request for more defined claims. The remaining State defendants <br /> appealed the District Court's decision to the Minnesota Court of Appeals on several grounds and also <br /> requested that the Court of Appeals review the District Court's refusal to dismiss the Plaintiffs' claims on <br /> the merits. In response,the Plaintiffs moved the Court of Appeals to dismiss the State's appeal. <br /> On April 13,2017,the Court of Appeals reversed the District Court's decision, deciding to dismiss <br /> the remaining claims, citing that Plaintiffs' claims that minority students do not receive an adequate <br /> education is a political question that the courts cannot address. The Court of Appeals stated"[W]hile we <br /> share the desire of respondents,and indeed of all Minnesotans, for an excellent system of public education, <br /> the establishment of qualitative standards necessary to achieve that laudable goal is entrusted to the elected <br /> representatives in our legislature and local branches of government." On April 14, 2017, an appeal was <br /> made to the Minnesota Supreme Court. The Minnesota Supreme Court granted review and heard oral <br /> arguments on this matter on January 9, 2018. <br /> On July 25, 2018,the Minnesota Supreme Court issued its opinion reversing the Court of Appeals' <br /> decision. The Minnesota Supreme Court held that Minnesota courts may address claims regarding whether <br /> the legislature has violated its duty under the Education Clause or violated the Equal Protection or Due <br /> Process Clauses of the Minnesota Constitution. In a November 2018 ruling, the Minnesota District Court <br /> in Hennepin County allowed the litigation to move forward as a class action focusing on all types of racial <br /> imbalance. The Charter School is not a direct party to the litigation. <br /> After the ruling, the parties to the Cruz-Guzman litigation commenced a period of mediation that <br /> has resulted in a potential resolution that involved the adoption of legislation intended to address school <br /> segregation. On April 9, 2021,H.F. 2471, a Minnesota House bill incorporating the terms agreed to by the <br /> parties during mediation,was introduced to the Minnesota legislature. The bill has five main components: <br /> 1. A five-tiered model of identifying students based on multiple economic and social <br /> measures. Tiers four and five represent the most challenging environments. Homeless students are <br /> identified as tier five regardless of where they reside. <br /> 2. Establishment of categories of districts, traditional public schools, and charter <br /> schools that must participate in a culturally responsive teaching,inclusion,and integration program <br /> and the parameters of participation <br /> 3. A voluntary metro-wide integration program, which provides additional funding <br /> to both serving and resident districts that participate. <br /> 4. A diverse magnet school program, which provides additional funding to hosting <br /> and resident districts and full state reimbursement for transportation; and <br /> 5. A statewide family information system that presents data and facilitates school-by- <br /> school comparisons, as well as a repository of evidence-based strategies to improve outcomes and <br /> eliminate disparities for historically underserved populations. <br /> 35 <br />