On September 10, 1969, the United States filed this lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas against the Tatum County Independent School District. The U.S. sued under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The U.S. sought to fully desegregate the Tatum Independent ...
read more >
On September 10, 1969, the United States filed this lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas against the Tatum County Independent School District. The U.S. sued under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The U.S. sought to fully desegregate the Tatum Independent School District which operated two campuses, Tatum (grades 1-12) and the virtually all-black Mayflower campus (grades 1-5).
On September 13, 1969 the Court determined that the "freedom of choice" plan under which the school district operated was ineffective and issued a preliminary injunction requiring that class assignments be made on a non-racial basis. The District fully desegregated its school and maintained a desegregated system while undergoing demographic changes. By the 2006-2007 school year, 26% of students enrolled in the district were African-American, 52% were while and 21% were Hispanic. There was no evidence of discrimination in facilities, transportation or extra-curricular activities.
On May 19, 2008, based on the data provided by the school district and surrounding evidence, the Court concluded that the Tatum County Independent School District had met the legal standards for desegregation and dismissed the action.
Maria Ricaurte - 10/03/2015
compress summary
