Justice opposes St. Landry schools request

• By RICHARD BURGESS
• Advocate Acadiana bureau
• Published: Jun 18, 2009 - Page: 1BA

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The U.S. Justice Department wants to block a move by the St. Landry Parish School Board for partial freedom from federal oversight in the school system’s desegregation case.

The School Board asked U.S. District Judge Tucker Melancon last month to declare that discrimination no longer plays a role in staff assignment or in the quality of education available to students.

Those are two of the areas that must meet federal guidelines to end the decades-old desegregation case.

The Justice Department has responded in court papers urging the judge not to relinquish any authority until after the School Board has implemented a school reorganization planned for the upcoming academic year.

The plan calls for closing two elementary schools and combining others, resulting in an extensive shuffling of students and staff.

“Most of this has yet to be initiated, therefore, it is impossible to assess what effect if any the plan has on the desegregation process,” Justice Department attorneys wrote in court filings.

Justice Department attorneys also question whether the School Board has done enough to address a problem of placing a disproportionate number of minority students in special education.

School Board officials have said the problem is linked to a lack of training for teachers who identify which students should be in special education.

The school system proposed better training, but Justice Department attorneys stated in court filings that the government has received no information on whether the training has been effective.

Melancon has set a June 30 deadline for the School Board to respond to the Justice Department’s concerns.

In arguing for partial freedom from federal oversight, the School Board cited improved test scores and small class sizes at majority black schools and a diverse staff and faculty.

The judge has already lifted federal oversight from two other areas that must be OK’d to end the desegregation case — transportation and extracurricular activities.

The issues of staff assignment and quality of education could be taken up at a scheduled desegregation hearing in July.