U.S. v. Board of Ed. of New York City, AFL-CIO

• Decision Date: 23 September 1976
• Docket Number: 1410 and 1411,D,Nos. 1409,AFL-CIO,s. 1409
• Citation: 543 F.2d 1
• Parties: UNITED STATES of America, Appellee, v. BOARD OF EDUCATION OF the CITY OF NEW YORK et al., Defendants-Appellees, and Council of Supervisors and Administrators, Local 1, AFSA,, et al., Intervenors-Appellants, and Community School Board, District 26, Intervenor-Appellant. UNITED STATES of America, Petitioner-Appellee, v. Solomon DEREWETSKY et al., Respondents-Appellants. ockets 76-6096, 76-6108 and 76-6110.
• Court: U.S. Court of Appeals — Second Circuit

Page 1

543 F.2d 1

UNITED STATES of America, Appellee, v. BOARD OF EDUCATION OF the CITY OF NEW YORK et al.,

Defendants-Appellees,

and

Council of Supervisors and Administrators, Local 1, AFSA,

AFL-CIO, et al., Intervenors-Appellants,

and

Community School Board, District 26, Intervenor-Appellant.

UNITED STATES of America, Petitioner-Appellee, v. Solomon DEREWETSKY et al., Respondents-Appellants.

Nos. 1409, 1410 and 1411, Dockets 76-6096, 76-6108 and 76-6110.

United States Court of Appeals Second Circuit.

Argued Aug. 19, 1976.

Decided Sept. 23, 1976.

Leonard Greenwald, New York City (Frankle & Greenwald, New York City, of counsel), for intervenors-appellants Council of Supervisors and Administrators, Local 1, AFSA, AFL-CIO, et al.

Cosmo DiTucci, Brooklyn, N. Y., for intervenors-appellants Community School Bd., District 26.

Richard P. Caro, Brooklyn, N. Y., Asst. U. S. Atty. (David G. Trager, U. S. Atty., E. D. N. Y., Brooklyn, N. Y., of counsel), for appellee.

Before VAN GRAAFEILAND, Circuit Judge, and KELLEHER ^* and GAGLIARDI, ^** District Judges.

PER CURIAM.

This is an appeal from an order directing the completion and filing of certain Department of Health, Education and Welfare informational reports. The public school system of the City of New York is the recipient of substantial amounts of federal financial aid. As an inducement for the granting of such aid, the Board of Education agreed to comply with federal anti-discrimination statutes and regulations implementing them. In February 1976, HEW sent forms for special compliance reports to the Board of Education for distribution to all of the public schools in the City of New York except the special educational schools, with instructions that they were to be completed and returned by May 3, 1976. These forms sought a great deal of information concerning the New York City School system, including a breakdown of pupils by race and sex. Specifically, all of the pupils in the city school system were required to be statistically classified as male or female members of one of the following groups:

(1) American Indian or Alaskan native;

(2) Asian or Pacific Islander;

(3) Black, not of Hispanic origin;

(4) Hispanic;

(5) White, not of Hispanic origin.

A second form, called the EEO-5 form, was distributed in March and was to be completed and returned by May 28, 1976. This required similar classification of each school's staff and personnel.

Because of the Board of Education's failure or refusal to complete the forms as requested, the United States, on May 10, 1976, sued in the Eastern District for an injunction compelling compliance. A motion for a preliminary injunction was made before District Judge Weinstein, who granted it on May 27, 1976 with the consent of the defendant Board of Education which had already commenced compliance by distributing the forms to its employees.

The principals of the city school system were not in accord with the position taken by the Board of Education, and many of them refused to complete the forms which they received. Accordingly, by order to show cause dated June 15, 1976, the government initiated contempt proceedings against 135 principals who refused to participate in the racial survey. Following service of the order to show cause, many of the principals promptly indicated that they would comply with the court's injunction order. Of those who appeared before Judge Weinstein, all but one also agreed to comply. ¹

The Council of Supervisors and Administrators was permitted to intervene on behalf of its school principal-members on June 16, 1976; and, in his final order, which is the order on appeal, Judge Weinstein also permitted intervention by the Community School Board, District 26. This appeal has been taken by the intervening parties.

It is quite obvious from the statements made to Judge Weinstein that the principals' objection to participating in the racial survey was based largely on moral rather than legal grounds. We have included in the margin excerpts from several of these statements which are typical of the attitude disclosed. ² The attorneys for appellants, on the other hand, attack the validity of the District Court's order on legal grounds. They contend that the principals were subjected to the order of the District Court without due process, ³ that the principals' fifth amendment rights against self-incrimination have been violated, ⁴ and that their right of privacy has been improperly invaded. ⁵

Unfortunately, these interesting questions have been made academic for the purposes of this appeal by the fact that all of the principals, save one, have complied with or are in the process of complying with the District Court's order. We find that, as to these parties, the appeal is moot, ⁶ and we leave to another panel the issues which will be raised by the recalcitrant principal who has been held in contempt and who is proceeding by separate appeal.

The appeal is dismissed without cost to any of the parties.

* Of the Central District of California, sitting by designation.

** Of the Southern District of New York, sitting by designation.

1 Dr. Howard L. Hurwitz, principal of Long Island City High School, felt so deeply that the racial information requested was improper that he refused to complete the forms and has been held in civil contempt of court. He...