Judge approves Louisiana district’s desegregation plan
After rejecting the original version two months ago, a federal judge Wednesday agreed to sign a revised consent order that will let the Jefferson Parish school system carry out a district-wide desegregation plan and eventually end a decades-long period of federal supervision. More than a year ago, the School Board decided to revisit its standing desegregation order, enacted in 1971, and update it to achieve "unitary" status. Doing so meant examining every aspect of the district—from facilities to teacher assignments to the racial makeup of most schools—and correcting imbalances. As many as 4,000 of the district's 44,000 public school students could be affected under the order's revised attendance boundaries. Meanwhile, magnet school parents said they were disappointed and disillusioned by the judge's ruling, which removed academic magnet schools entirely. Parents said they believe attorneys are determined to remove choice for all magnet students by restricting them to the side of the Mississippi River where they live. Attorneys for the magnet school parents also took issue with a portion of the order that aims to prevent parents from seeking provisional custody to avoid sending their children to schools in their home districts. In addition, Larry Samuel, an attorney for the Jefferson Federation of Teachers, complained that the order superseded the union's contract and gave autonomy to Superintendent Diane Roussel to make all staffing decisions. School Board attorney Jack Grant said that was necessary for Roussel to have full authority over staffing to comply with the court order. "The teacher's union had control for many years," Grant said. "With this order, we can no longer let that continue."
Source: New Orleans Times-Picayune, 5/15/08, by Jenny Hurwitz
[Editor’s Note: Background is below.]
NSBA School Law pages on desegregation plan