U.S. Dismisses 50-Year-Old School Desegregation Case

Plaquemines Parish school building symbolizing desegregation

News Summary

The U.S. Department of Justice has dismissed a decades-old school desegregation case against the Plaquemines Parish School Board, a move aligned with the Trump administration’s broader efforts to terminate longstanding desegregation cases. This decision, which raises concerns about racial equity in education, repositions Civil Rights-era laws, now emphasizing ‘anti-white racism.’ Critics warn that removing federal oversight may lead to increased segregation in schools, igniting discussions on racial discrimination in education and the implications for future desegregation efforts.

Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana – The U.S. Department of Justice has officially dismissed a school desegregation case that has remained open for over 50 years against the Plaquemines Parish School Board. This decision aligns with the Trump administration’s broader initiative to terminate numerous longstanding school racial desegregation cases that have been particularly targeted by conservative groups.

This dismissal, announced recently, comes in the context of a significant reinterpretation of Civil Rights-era laws by the Trump administration. Officials are now positioning these laws with a focus on what they have termed “anti-white racism,” rather than solely addressing discrimination against people of color.

Just weeks before the dismissal of the Plaquemines case, the administration took steps that further loosened restrictions on federal contractors, permitting them to maintain segregated facilities, such as dining areas and waiting areas. This reduction in federal oversight raises concerns among civil rights advocates regarding the implications for racial equity in public education.

Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon characterized the closure of the case as a move that “righted a historical wrong.” The decision effectively removes the Plaquemines Parish School Board from federal scrutiny, which had been in place to ensure compliance with desegregation mandates since the original lawsuit was filed during the Johnson administration in 1966. A federal ruling in 1975 stated that the Plaquemines Parish School Board had stopped practicing racially segregated schooling, yet the case persisted for an additional five decades.

Plaquemines Parish, situated south of New Orleans, is predominantly white, which adds layers to the implications of this dismissal. Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill has been instrumental in collaborating with federal authorities for the case’s closure and is now seeking to advocate for the termination of other desegregation cases across the state. Murrill asserts that this dismissal signifies progress not only for Plaquemines Parish but for various school districts in Louisiana.

As of 2020, it was reported that approximately 30 out of Louisiana’s 69 public school districts were still under desegregation orders, enabling the federal government to monitor and implement various measures aimed at ensuring equal educational opportunity.

While the federal government takes steps to dissolve these longstanding cases, critics highlight alarming trends indicating an increase in racial segregation within schools across the country in recent decades. Education advocacy groups, such as Available to All, emphasize that these desegregation orders have not necessarily curtailed the establishment of enrollment boundaries that disproportionately impact children from impoverished backgrounds, thus limiting their access to high-performing educational institutions.

Currently, more than 130 school systems remain under DOJ desegregation orders, with a majority located in states such as Alabama, Georgia, and Mississippi. These orders often require the implementation of various measures, including busing students or allowing transfers from predominantly Black schools to predominantly white schools. The ongoing dismissal of such orders raises alarms among civil rights advocates who fear that without federal oversight, the progress made towards equitable education could be jeopardized, leading to greater segregation.

The recent dismissal by the Trump administration has ignited discussions regarding the federal government’s commitment to addressing ongoing issues of racial discrimination in educational settings. Experts argue that districts released from desegregation oversight frequently experience increased segregation, bringing into question the effectiveness of self-regulation in these areas. Critics maintain that simply abolishing federal oversight does not equate to resolved issues of segregation within the impacted school districts.

As the implications of this dismissal unfold, educators, parents, and advocacy groups are closely monitoring future decisions regarding school desegregation across the state and the nation, as many fear a potential regression in the fight for equal education opportunities for all students.