Class Action Lawsuit Says New York Let Yeshivas Ignore Education Standards

Case Overview: A class action lawsuit claims New York weakened oversight, leaving yeshiva students without basic education guaranteed under state law.

Consumers Affected: About 100,000 students in New York’s Hasidic and Haredi yeshivas.

Court: Supreme Court of the State of New York, Kings County

New York lawmakers are being accused of gutting long-standing education standards and leaving tens of thousands of Hasidic and Haredi children without the basic instruction guaranteed to them under state law. 

A new lawsuit, filed on behalf of four plaintiffs and an estimated 100,000 students, argues that changes tucked into the state’s most recent budget have created loopholes that allow ultra-Orthodox yeshivas to sidestep requirements to provide an education “substantially equivalent” to what is offered in public schools.

The lawsuit names Governor Kathy Hochul, Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, and the state itself as defendants, claiming New York has abandoned its constitutional duty to ensure every child has the chance to obtain a sound basic education.

Plaintiffs Describe Limited Instruction and Academic Struggles

The lawsuit was filed on behalf of four unnamed students. One plaintiff, an 11-year-old boy in sixth grade, receives minimal English and math instruction, no science, and no lessons in American history or civics, according to the lawsuit. His report cards show top marks, but independent testing found him far below grade level. 

Another plaintiff, a 13-year-old, says his school offers no science, history, or civics at all, and that classes rely heavily on rote memorization, leaving him disengaged and struggling academically. A younger 8-year-old student alleges that English instruction is so limited that his teacher, whose first language is Yiddish, struggles to pronounce words correctly. 

Meanwhile, a 24-year-old former student alleges he never received a high school diploma, teaching himself English outside of school, and struggling to find stable, well-paid work after graduation.

Lawsuit Says State Abandoned Duty to Ensure Basic Education

New York law has long required nonpublic schools to provide instruction in essential subjects like English, math, science, and civics, however for years, enforcement was inconsistent, the lawsuit states. 

A 2015 letter from parents and teachers flagged dozens of noncompliant schools, and a state investigation later confirmed widespread failures. By 2022, new regulations were adopted to tighten oversight.

But in the past three years, the lawsuit claims, lawmakers have steadily chipped away at those standards, passing amendments designed to shield ultra-Orthodox yeshivas from scrutiny. 

The result, according to plaintiffs, is an education system that denies students their constitutional rights while still drawing on more than a billion dollars in public funding for textbooks, transportation, and other services.

Loopholes Allegedly Shield Yeshivas From Oversight

In January, four Hasidic schools filed a federal complaint claiming New York discriminated against Jews by requiring secular education standards they say threaten their religious mission. 

The yeshivas, which enroll more than 50,000 boys according to a New York Times investigation and receive over $1 billion in public funding, have faced scrutiny for offering little instruction in core subjects. The lawsuit was filed in response to a new state law set to withhold funds from schools that don’t provide an education “substantially equivalent” to public schools.

Other education-related lawsuits nationwide include a proposed class action alleging that dozens of elite universities, including Columbia and Duke, conspired to inflate tuition costs by manipulating the early decision admissions process. 

At the same time, the U.S. Department of Education is facing claims that it unlawfully delayed and denied student loan relief, leaving borrowers trapped in debt despite qualifying for forgiveness.

In this lawsuit, the plaintiffs are asking the court to declare that all students in New York’s nonpublic schools are entitled to a sound basic education and to strike down laws that let schools avoid meeting that standard. It calls for the state’s education commissioner and Board of Regents, not local school authorities, to oversee compliance, backed with proper funding. 

Plaintiffs also seek compensatory education for recent graduates who were shortchanged, reimbursement of legal costs, and ongoing court supervision to ensure New York upholds its constitutional obligations.

Case Details

• Lawsuit: A.B. and C.D. By Their Parent and Next Friend, Jane Roe, et al. v. Kathy Hochul As Governor of the State of New York, et al.
• Case Number: 532364/2025
• Court: Supreme Court of the State of New York, Kings County

Plaintiffs' Attorneys: 

• Michael A. Rebell and Michael Gregory (Youth Advocacy & Policy Lab Harvard Law School)
• Eric Hui-Chieh Huang, Linda Moon, and Quinn Emanuel (Urquhart & Sullivan, LLP)

Do you know anyone in New York State who attends a Yeshiva? Let us know about their experience in the comments section!