An desegregation order for Florence School District One has been closed about 48 years after the case was initially filed.
“Based on a review of the information and data provided by the District, and other information obtained by the United States, and the record in this case, the United States has advised the District that, in its view, the District has fulfilled its affirmative desegregation obligations under the Fourteenth Amendment and applicable Federal law,” says a copy of the “Agreed Order of Unitary Status and Dismissal” from the Florence Division of the U.S. District Court for the District of SC. The order was signed on September 26.
On March 4, 1970, the district submitted a desegregation plan to the United States Dept. of Health, Education, and Welfare for approval, the document says. The United States Dept. of Justice became involved in the case in July 1970. On July 15, 1970, the district filed a revised plan, “modifying its original plan to conform to the suggestions made by officials from HEW and the DOJ.”
On August 20, 1970, a district judge ordered the revised plan to take effect in the 1970-71 school year, according to the document. On July 23 1971, a district judge authorized a revised desegregation plan “that focused on student attendance zones, transfer policies, and faculty desegregation, to take effect in the 1971-1972 school year.”
“In February 1993, the United States received complaints about the District, including allegations that the District was engaging in discriminatory behavior and violating the terms of the 1971 desegregation plan,” the document also states. On May 12, 1993, the NAACP filed a lawsuit “alleging that the district was engaging in discriminatory activities against African American citizens and violating the terms of the 1971 Desegregation Plan.”
On July 19,1993, the United States “moved to consolidate both cases and in June 1995, a consent order was signed and issued by the court,” says the document. On July 6, 1999, “the parties entered an informal agreement resolving five remaining areas of concern: racial composition of the IB Program, faculty hiring, student discipline as an element of quality of education, and racial composition of the Gifted Program.”
“Since 1999, the United States has actively monitored the District, completed several site visits to evaluate compliance with the existing Order, and issued formal and informal requests for information to the District,” the document adds. “As a result of the extensive review, the parties to this Agreed Order hereby request approval of this Agreed Order of Unitary Status and Dismissal.”
For the 2017-18 school year, the district enrolled about 16,250 students in 21 schools, according to the document. “Across the District, 8,643 black students were enrolled (approximately 53.2%), 6,261 white students were enrolled (approximately 38.5%), and 1,346 students of other racial or ethnic minorities were enrolled (approximately 8.3%).”
The district employed about 999 teachers during the 2016-17 school year and “approximately 742 teachers are white (74.3%) and 240 teachers are black (24.0%).”
The full order can be read here.
