Trump officials are vowing to end school desegregation orders. Some parents say they're still needed
Share this @internewscast.com

FERRIDAY, La. (AP) — The disparities are evident at first glance. Ferriday High School’s walls show signs of age and wear, encircled by barbed wire. In contrast, Vidalia High School, just a few miles apart, boasts a pristine and inviting appearance, complete with a new library and a freshly painted blue “V” on its vibrant orange bricks.

Ferriday High is 90% Black. Vidalia High is 62% white.

For Black families in the area, this stark difference indicates a message that “we’re not supposed to have the finer things,” expressed Brian Davis, a Ferriday parent. “It’s almost like our kids don’t deserve it,” he added with concern.

Both schools fall within Concordia Parish, which, despite being ordered to desegregate 60 years ago, still operates under a court-mandated plan. However, there is an increasing push to free the district — along with numerous others — from these long-standing orders that some now deem outdated.

In a remarkable reversal, the Justice Department said it plans to start unwinding court-ordered desegregation plans dating to the Civil Rights Movement. Officials started in April, when they lifted a 1960s order in Louisiana’s Plaquemines Parish. Harmeet Dhillon, who leads the department’s civil rights division, has said others will “bite the dust.”

It comes amid pressure from Republican Gov. Jeff Landry and his attorney general, who have called for all the state’s remaining orders to be lifted. They describe the orders as burdens on districts and relics of a time when Black students were still forbidden from some schools.

The orders were always meant to be temporary — school systems can be released if they demonstrate they fully eradicated segregation. Decades later, that goal remains elusive, with stark racial imbalances persisting in many districts.

Civil rights groups say the orders are important to keep as tools to address the legacy of forced segregation — including disparities in student discipline, academic programs and teacher hiring. They point to cases like Concordia, where the decades-old order was used to stop a charter school from favoring white students in admissions.

“Concordia is one where it’s old, but a lot is happening there,” said Deuel Ross, deputy director of litigation for the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. “That’s true for a lot of these cases. They’re not just sitting silently.”

Debates over integration are far from settled

Last year, before President Donald Trump took office, Concordia Parish rejected a Justice Department plan that would have ended its case if the district combined several majority white and majority Black elementary and middle schools.

At a town hall meeting, Vidalia residents vigorously opposed the plan, saying it would disrupt students’ lives and expose their children to drugs and violence. An official from the Louisiana attorney general’s office spoke against the proposal and said the Trump administration likely would change course on older orders.

Accepting the plan would have been a “death sentence” for the district, said Paul Nelson, a former Concordia superintendent. White families would have fled to private schools or other districts, said Nelson, who wants the court order removed.

“It’s time to move on,” said Nelson, who left the district in 2016. “Let’s start looking to build for the future, not looking back to what our grandparents may have gone through.”

At Ferriday High, athletic coach Derrick Davis supported combining schools in Ferriday and Vidalia. He said the district’s disparities come into focus whenever his teams visit schools with newer sports facilities.

“It seems to me, if we’d all combine, we can all get what we need,” he said.

Others oppose merging schools if it’s done solely for the sake of achieving racial balance. “Redistricting and going to different places they’re not used to … it would be a culture shock to some people,” said Ferriday’s school resource officer, Marcus Martin, who like Derrick Davis is Black.

The district’s current superintendent and school board did not respond to requests for comment.

Federal orders offer leverage for racial discrimination cases

Concordia is among more than 120 districts across the South that remain under desegregation orders from the 1960s and ’70s, including about a dozen in Louisiana.

Calling the orders historical relics is “unequivocally false,” said Shaheena Simons, who until April led the Justice Department section that oversees school desegregation cases.

“Segregation and inequality persist in our schools, and they persist in districts that are still under desegregation orders,” she said.

With court orders in place, families facing discrimination can reach out directly to the Justice Department or seek relief from the court. Otherwise, the only recourse is a lawsuit, which many families can’t afford, Simons said.

In Concordia, the order played into a battle over a charter school that opened in 2013 on the former campus of an all-white private school. To protect the area’s progress on racial integration, a judge ordered Delta Charter School to build a student body that reflected the district’s racial demographics. But in its first year, the school was just 15% Black.

After a court challenge, Delta was ordered to give priority to Black students. Today, about 40% of its students are Black.

Desegregation orders have been invoked recently in other cases around the state. One led to an order to address disproportionately high rates of discipline for Black students, and in another a predominantly Black elementary school was relocated from a site close to a chemical plant.

The Justice Department could easily end some desegregation orders

The Trump administration was able to close the Plaquemines case with little resistance because the original plaintiffs are no longer involved — the Justice Department was litigating the case alone. Concordia and an unknown number of other districts are in the same situation, making them vulnerable to quick dismissals.

Concordia’s case dates to 1965, when the area was strictly segregated and home to a violent offshoot of the Ku Klux Klan. When Black families in Ferriday sued for access to all-white schools, the federal government intervened.

As the district integrated its schools, white families fled Ferriday. The district’s schools came to reflect the demographics of their surrounding areas. Ferriday is mostly Black and low-income, while Vidalia is mostly white and takes in tax revenue from a hydroelectric plant. A third town in the district, Monterey, has a high school that’s 95% white.

At the December town hall, Vidalia resident Ronnie Blackwell said the area “feels like a Mayberry, which is great,” referring to the fictional Southern town from “The Andy Griffith Show.” The federal government, he said, has “probably destroyed more communities and school systems than it ever helped.”

Under its court order, Concordia must allow students in majority Black schools to transfer to majority white schools. It also files reports on teacher demographics and student discipline.

After failing to negotiate a resolution with the Justice Department, Concordia is scheduled to make its case that the judge should dismiss the order, according to court documents. Meanwhile, amid a wave of resignations in the federal government, all but two of the Justice Department lawyers assigned to the case have left.

Without court supervision, Brian Davis sees little hope for improvement.

“A lot of parents over here in Ferriday, they’re stuck here because here they don’t have the resources to move their kids from A to B,” he said. “You’ll find schools like Ferriday — the term is, to me, slipping into darkness.”

___

The Associated Press’ education coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

Share this @internewscast.com
You May Also Like
National pride is declining in America. And it's splitting by party lines, new Gallup polling shows

New Gallup Poll Reveals Decline in National Pride in America, Highlighting Growing Political Divide

WASHINGTON (AP) — According to a recent Gallup poll, only 36% of…
Panthers manage to re-sign Brad Marchand, Aaron Ekblad after Stanley Cup triumph

Panthers Successfully Re-Sign Brad Marchand and Aaron Ekblad Following Stanley Cup Victory

The Panthers have re-signed two of their key pieces from their most…
Bill Belichick, Jordon Hudson make surprise appearance after drama with his ex

Bill Belichick and Jordon Hudson Unexpectedly Show Up Following Controversy With His Former Partner

Bill Belichick and his 24-year-old girlfriend, Jordon Hudson, are not shying away…
Smoke rising from a burning building in Tehran, following an Israeli strike.

Leading Iranian Cleric Declares Trump and Netanyahu as ‘Enemies of God,’ Calls for Death with Fatwa

A TOP Iranian cleric has issued a fatwa against President Donald Trump…
Chicago man Francesco Di Filippo, 20, missing in Wisconsin Dells found dead after body of Luis Di Filippo found in April: police

Body of Missing Chicago Man Francesco Di Filippo, 20, Discovered in Wisconsin Dells Following Earlier Discovery of Luis Di Filippo

WISCONSIN DELLS, Wis. (WLS) — A second Chicago man who went missing…
Photo of Rachelle Fischer, a missing teenager, standing in a field with a shovel.

Mother of Missing Teens Worries They Were Taken Due to Warren Jeffs’ Disturbing “Children Must Die” Prophecy

THE mom of two missing teens is terrified that they’re in danger…
Pennsylvania residents fight subpoenas in Bryan Kohberger's Idaho murder case

Pennsylvania Locals Challenge Subpoenas in Idaho Murder Trial of Bryan Kohberger

A set of Pennsylvania locals is expected in court for hearings regarding…
Diddy Trial: Opening statements expected Monday

Jury Begins Deliberation in Diddy’s Human Trafficking Trial

Combs chose not to testify, and his lawyers didn’t call any witnesses…
Four young men rescue dog, save East Arlington house from fire

Four Young Heroes Save Dog and Prevent House Fire in East Arlington

The men were riding around their neighborhood Sunday evening when they noticed…
Black and white photo of Sebastian, a 12-year-old boy.

Tragic Loss: Family Warns About Dangers of Online Challenges After 12-Year-Old’s Death

A 12-YEAR-OLD boy has died in a social media challenge, with his…
Emergency responders at the scene of a fatal plane crash.

Tragic Plane Crash Claims Six Lives as Jet Bursts Into Flames Shortly After Takeoff; Neighbor’s 911 Call Released

A JET burst into flames just minutes after takeoff, killing all six…
A 19-year-old in a neck brace holds a lobster roll.

19-Year-Old Suffers Broken Neck in Unusual Beach Accident While Trying to Cool Off

A TEENAGER has been left with a broken neck following a freak…