Major Case in New York State to Test Reach of the New York State Human Rights Law
A case on appeal before the Appellate Division, Third Department will test the extent to which the New York State Human Rights Law can be enforced against public school districts. In the case of Newfield Central School District v. New York State Division of Human Rights, the school district is making the claim that as a public school district, it is exempt from the law's reach. The State, on the other hand, is claiming that there is no distinction between public and private schools.
This is a case that is being very closely watched as the decision will have a significant impact on the coverage of the Human Rights Law. New York State has one of the most broad State Human Rights Laws and based on its legislative history, the law ought to be more inclusive of those it protects as opposed to being filled with execptions and exemptions. We will monitor the outcome of this case and hopefully the decision will come down shortly.
