The School District of South Orange and Maplewood

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The South Orange-Maplewood School District is a regional public school district, serving students from the suburban communities of South Orange and Maplewood, two municipalities in Essex County, New Jersey, United States.As of the 2011–12 school year, the district's nine schools had an enrollment of 6,515 students and 527.3 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 12.36:1.The district is classified by the New Jersey Department of Education as being in District Factor Group "I", the second-highest of eight groupings. District Factor Groups organize districts statewide to allow comparison by common socioeconomic characteristics of the local districts. From lowest socioeconomic status to highest, the categories are A, B, CD, DE, FG, GH, I and J.HistoryThe school district has operated as a unified organization for the area since 1867 and under the current name since 1894. Its first permanent teacher and principal was James Ricalton, who was a noted photographer and world traveler.In October 2014, the American Civil Liberties Union filed a complaint against the South Orange-Maplewood School District in relation to its academic leveling and disciplinary systems, stating that the overuse of discipline and "zero-tolerance" policy, and implicit racial bias within the level selection system violate Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.