Appeals court ends Concordia school desegregation oversight

A federal appeals court has lifted a desegregation order that kept Concordia Parish, Louisiana, schools under court supervision for more than six decades, giving state officials and the Trump administration a new win in their push to close civil-rights-era school cases. [0]

The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ended the mandate Tuesday for the Concordia Parish School Board. The case began in 1965, when Black families in Ferriday sued for access to all-white schools and the federal government intervened. [0] Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill praised the ruling as a return of authority to local voters, saying elected board members, not federal judges, should govern the schools. [0]

The decision reverses the posture the Justice Department held for decades. Under Trump, federal officials have joined Louisiana in arguing that remaining desegregation orders are outdated constraints on local school systems rather than needed remedies for past discrimination. apnews In January, a federal judge also approved ending a desegregation order in DeSoto Parish, after state and federal officials said there had been no dispute among the parties for years. al

Civil-rights groups and some parents say the orders still matter because racial disparities remain in discipline, course access, teacher hiring and school facilities. edweek In Concordia Parish, the order was used after a mostly white charter school opened in 2013 to require admissions steps aimed at creating a more integrated student body. nola

The fight is not limited to Concordia. Louisiana has sought to dissolve other long-running orders, including in St. Mary Parish, where advocates have argued districts should have to prove they erased the effects of segregation before court oversight ends. edweek The latest ruling could strengthen similar bids across the state, where roughly a dozen parishes have still been dealing with desegregation cases dating back to the 1960s. apnews