Huntsville, Madison schools continue efforts under desegregation orders
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Huntsville and Madison County are among dozens of school systems across the South with active federal desegregation orders.
Why it matters: The Trump administration is signaling it wants to ditch federal desegregation efforts in public school systems, a move that would end much-debated, decades-old programs mainly aimed at improving education opportunities for nonwhite students.
- Lifting desegregation policies set by federal rules and court orders — some of them a half-century old — could lead to a wide range of changes in more than 80 school systems Axios has identified as still being under such requirements.
The big picture: Those systems, primarily in the South, would no longer have to follow policies that set flexible transfer rules, school boundary guidelines, diversity hiring goals, and requirements for equal resources among schools, for example.
- It also would mean that Black and Latino parents in school systems that have been historically resistant to desegregation efforts likely would have less help tackling allegations of discrimination.
Zoom in: Huntsville City Schools filed an unopposed motion earlier this year for partial unitary status for extracurricular activities, facilities and faculty and staff, continuing work toward unitary status outlined in a 2015 consent order between the Huntsville Board of Education and the United States.
- A response from the Department of Justice said: "The District has met its desegregation obligations" in those areas and that it "does not oppose the District's motion for a declaration of partial unitary status."
- The district has struggled since 1970 to adjust school zoning policies that often have reinforced racial divides and limited extracurricular activities for Black students, according to court documents.
- At Madison County Schools, a 2022 consent order outlined a similar path for county schools to attain unitary status. Huntsville's case dates back to 1963, and Madison's to 1970. They're among 15 cases still open in Alabama.
What's next: HCS is now awaiting a decision from federal court on its partial unitary status, the district said in May.
- If the court grants the motions, HCS will have achieved partial unitary status in four of the seven Green factors required for full release from federal oversight. The three remaining areas include: Equitable Access to Course Offerings and Programs, Student Discipline, and Student Assignment.
- When reached for comment Wednesday, the district said it was working to provide updates on the status of the case.