School Desegregation Order Lifted in Louisiana

📢 Major Update: School Desegregation Order Lifted After 59 Years

The U.S. Department of Justice has officially lifted a school desegregation order in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana, first issued in 1966. Officials say it's time to move forward, but civil rights advocates fear the decision could signal a return to school segregation — and more such orders could soon be removed.

🕰️ Background: What Are School Desegregation Orders?

• Introduced during the Civil Rights Movement, these legal agreements aimed to integrate public schools following the landmark 1954 Supreme Court ruling in Brown v. Board of Education.

• The DOJ filed many such orders in the 1960s to force compliance with anti-segregation laws.

• They remain in effect until a district proves it has resolved the effects of segregation.

✅ Why the DOJ Closed the Louisiana Order

• The Plaquemines Parish district was declared integrated in 1975.

• The case sat inactive in court for decades due to a judge’s death and missing records.

• DOJ and Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill filed a joint motion stating all claims had been “fully resolved.”

🧍 Superintendent Shelley Ritz said continued reporting created a burden for her small district of under 4,000 students.

📋 What These Orders Usually Require

Desegregation orders typically address:

• School zoning and student transfers 🔁

• Faculty hiring diversity 🧑‍🏫

• Transportation or busing plans 🚌

• Equitable access to programs and services 🍽️

• Disciplinary equity and student outcomes 📊

Even during the pandemic, these orders were used to challenge policies that disproportionately hurt Black students.

⚖️ Mixed Reactions From Civil Rights Experts

🚨 Civil rights advocates warn that ending these orders doesn’t mean the issue of segregation is solved:

• 🗨️ Johnathan Smith says many schools are now more segregated than in 1954.

• 📉 Research shows schools often resegregate quickly after oversight ends.

• 🧠 Halley Potter, an education policy expert, called it a step backward for educational equality.

📌 Where Desegregation Orders Still Exist

• Over 130 school districts are still under DOJ desegregation orders.

• Most are in Alabama, Mississippi, and Georgia, with others in Louisiana, Florida, and beyond.

• Some districts also operate under separate agreements with the U.S. Education Department.

🔮 What’s Next?

• Louisiana AG Liz Murrill has requested reviews of additional school desegregation orders across the state.

• Federal officials hint that more such legal agreements may be phased out.

• Civil rights groups are preparing for potential court challenges if oversight ends without proven equity.

📌 Summary Points

• ✅ The Justice Department lifted a school desegregation order in Louisiana for the first time in decades.

• ⚖️ Officials say it reflects progress; activists worry about resegregation.

• 📊 Over 130 school systems remain under such orders — for now.