HONOLULU (KHON2) – A federal lawsuit has been filed by Students for Fair Admissions against the Trustees of the Estate of Bernice Pauahi Bishop, targeting Kamehameha Schools’ admissions policy to end race-based admissions.
In the Oct. 20 announcement, SFFA said Kamehameha’s policy breaks civil rights laws by using race or ancestry to decide who can attend. The group said all schools should give every student the same chance to apply, no matter their background.
Edward Blum, the president of SFFA, said Kamehameha can still teach Hawaiian culture and language but should not block students because of their race.
“Kamehameha can keep its mission, its culture, and its curriculum but it cannot bar children because of their race,” said Blum. “Native Hawaiian culture can be celebrated without imposing ancestry-based barriers.”
The lawsuit also points to a Rice v. Cayetano 2000 Supreme Court case that said ancestry-based rules can count as racial discrimination.
SFFA said it supports Kamehameha’s goal to help children in Hawaiʻi but wants the school to use a race-neutral process when choosing students.
Kamehameha Schools has not yet released a public response to the lawsuit.