MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The U.S. Department of Justice announced a new consent order in a decades-long desegregation case involving Fayette County Schools in West Tennessee.
Fayette County Schools were ordered to desegregate following a lawsuit in 1965. Then for the decades after, the school district has been working to meet the court order. With this latest consent decree, the district is a step closer to the court order being lifted, if some requirements are met.
The DOJ said under the consent decree, the district must improve identification and opportunities for students in gifted programs and dual-enrollment classes (where high school students also take college level courses). The district must also improve its efforts to recruit and retain a racially diverse faculty. It must also revise discipline policies for students to prevent Black students from being singled out more than White students and ending the use of corporal punishment.
Here's a breakdown of what the district must do, according to the DOJ:
- Work with DOJ and plaintiffs of NAACP Legal Defense Fund to further desegregation in schools.
- Make a plan to ensure Black students are properly identified for enrollment into gifted programs and receive the same services as others.
- Identify racial disparities in dual enrollment and advanced courses and implement changes to reduce barriers for Black students.
- Work with consultant to change student discipline policies to reduce racial disparities and ‘instill positive reinforcement techniques.’
- End use of corporal punishment.
- Review hiring policies and implement changes to decrease racial disparities in recruitment, hiring promotion, and retention of Black faculty members.
The consent decree said Fayette County Schools have met several obligations of the desegregation order, including in the areas of staff assignments, facilities, transportation, and extracurricular activities.
“School desegregation and equal access to a quality education was critically important nearly 70 years ago when the Supreme Court decided Brown v. Board, and it is critically important today,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, in a news release. “The Justice Department remains steadfast in our commitment to making real the promise of Brown and dismantling the legacy of discrimination in our schools. This consent decree is a giant step forward for students deserving of racially just and equitable outcomes in Fayette County Schools. These reforms will expand access to enriched academic opportunities and give students the positive, inclusive learning environment they need to thrive.”
2024 marks the 70th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Brown v. Board of Education, which signaled the end of legalized segregation in U.S. schools.
Members of the public may report possible civil rights violations at www.civilrights.justice.gov/report.