Feds sue Georgia for segregating disabled students in public schools

August 24, 2016 at 12:29 p.m. | Updated August 24, 2016 at 12:31 p.m.

by Associated Press

FILE - In this Friday, July 8, 2016 file photo, Attorney General Loretta Lynch speaks about recent shootings, at the Justice Department Washington. Lynch likely faces questions about policing and race, as well as a decision not to bring charges against Hillary Clinton over her use of private email while secretary of state in a House hearing Tuesday, July 12, 2016. The House Judiciary Committee is likely to ask about police interactions with minorities following a violent week that brought that issue to the forefront. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)
FILE - In this Friday, July 8, 2016 file photo, Attorney General Loretta Lynch speaks about recent shootings, at the Justice Department Washington. Lynch likely faces questions about policing and race, as well as a decision not to bring charges against Hillary Clinton over her use of private email while secretary of state in a House hearing Tuesday, July 12, 2016. The House Judiciary Committee is likely to ask about police interactions with minorities following a violent week that brought that issue to the forefront. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)

ATLANTA (AP) - The U.S. Department of Justice has filed a lawsuit against the state of Georgia over the treatment of students with disabilities.

The lawsuit filed Tuesday in federal court in Atlanta says thousands of public school students in Georgia's Network for Educational and Therapeutic Support Program, known as GNETS, were placed in separate, segregated and unequal settings in violation of federal law. Civil Rights Division head Vanita Gupta says students with disabilities have a right to interact with and learn alongside their peers who are not disabled.

Representatives for Attorney General Sam Olens and state Superintendent Richard Woods didn't immediately respond to the lawsuit.

The Department of Justice first notified the state in July of 2015 that the program was violating the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Upcoming Events