SPLC Sues Ala. Education Officials For School Data

A lawsuit has been filed accusing the Alabama Department of Education of refusing to release school data showing the impact of Alabama's law cracking down on illegal immigrants has had on Hispanic students. The Southern Poverty Law Center in Montgomery filed the lawsuit, which contends education officials have declined to release data on student enrollment before and after the immigration law was enacted. The lawsuit says the SPLC has requested a copy of information that education officials have sent to the U.S. Justice Department. A section of the immigration law requires school systems to collect immigration data from families of students. That section has been enjoined by a federal court. The lawsuit seeks data on what effect it had before being stopped by the courts. Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.