Wayne Co. School District Gets Off Hook in Desegregation Case

SCHOOL DESEGREGATION

The United States District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi has approved the dismissal of a long-standing school desegregation case against the Wayne County School District in Mississippi.

The case, which dates back to 1970, saw the district operate under a desegregation order. The court entered an order in 2006 specifically prohibiting the use of race in classroom assignments at Waynesboro Elementary School, one of the district’s four elementary schools.

However, concerns continued about Waynesboro’s classroom assignment practices, prompting the court to approve a consent order in 2012 directing the district to randomly assign students to classrooms in the school. The district has since successfully used the new classroom assignment procedures for the last four school years.

The Department of Justice recently determined that the district had complied fully with the terms of the 2012 consent order and is therefore eligible for unitary status and dismissal of the case.

“We commend the Wayne County School District for satisfying its remaining obligations in this case and ensuring equal educational opportunities for all students,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Vanita Gupta of the Civil Rights Division. “We have been pleased to work with the district and other school systems under desegregation orders to resolve outstanding issues and seek dismissal of these cases when district have satisfied their obligations.”

The court’s decision to dismiss the case comes as the department continues to monitor 178 school districts under active desegregation orders. Over the last year, several school districts under desegregation orders have successfully sought unitary status from the courts and the cases have been dismissed.

Promoting school desegregation is a priority of the department’s Civil Rights Division. Additional information about the division is available at www.justice.gov/crt. The Wayne County School District serves close to 3,500 students.

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