Topic: The principal and superintendent of Pittsylvania County School Board denied the academic promotion of twenty – two second grade students to the third grade. Their failures were based on the students’ inability to meet the minimum reading level proficiency scores of the district.

Issues: (1) Does the school’s refusal to promote students based on reading – level proficiency violate the learners’ constitutional rights? (2) Did the school system violate 42 U.S.C 1983 by failing to provide equal opportunities to students attending Whitmell as similar students in the Pittsylvania County School System?

Facts: At the end of the 1977 -1978 school year, all second grade students attending Whitmell Elementary School in Pittsylvania County …show more content…
Finding of the Appellate Court: The Court of Appeals’ declared that decisions on students’ academic promotion based upon evaluated academic performance should be held for the expertise of the school’s superintendent and school board, and not for review in a judicial court. Their final ruling was to uphold the trial court’s decision to dismiss the case.

Reasoning: 1. No. The school’s refusal to promote students based on reading – level proficiency does not violate the learners’ constitutional rights? The four plaintiffs in this case had the burden of proving the school’s principal, superintendent and school board actually violated their constitutional rights b not providing a fair and free education. The plaintiffs were unable to provided tangible proof that their constitutional right was infringed upon in any way. 2. No. The school system did not violate 42 U.S.C 1983 by failing to provide equal opportunities to students attending Whitmell as similar students in the Pittsylvania County School System. The plaintiffs alleged that the school system’s administrators failed to efficiently supervise the educators’ ability to properly and appropriately teach the curriculum’s reading material. According to 42 U.S.C 1983, schools must provide educational opportunities comparable to other students similarly situated