ending matters that had remained on court dockets for more than half a century.
“In this administration, we are ending prolonged federal oversight of these school districts because the effort does not reflect the reality of those classrooms today,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “In some cases, school districts have been under federal control for more than 60 years. Now these local school districts can redirect taxpayer dollars back to benefitting students, instead of funding onerous and outdated consent decrees.”
The Department is undertaking a thorough case-by-case review of pending school desegregation cases, which were filed in connection with the unlawful operation of a dual school system based on race. Cases still on the docket in federal courts were filed in the 1960’s and 70’s. After concluding that a school district has achieved unitary status, the Department will seek dismissal of the case.