Garland ISD prepares to end desegregation order from the 1970s

Garland ISD to vote on DOJ desegregation order

Garland ISD will vote tonight on getting rid of a desegregation order. The policy has been in place for decades.

GARLAND, Texas - The Garland Independent School District will vote tonight to end desegregation efforts, which have been in place for decades.

What we know:

This is a case where a federal desegregation requirement in effect for more than 50 years has outlived its original purpose. And so, steps are being taken to eliminate it.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office has since filed a motion declaring the mandate is no longer needed. 

Garland ISD’s board of trustees is scheduled to vote in support of that motion on Tuesday and will declare the district "unitary." That means all vestiges of previous segregation have been removed.

The backstory:

The original order dates back to 1970.

At the time, a federal judge ordered Garland ISD to implement a racial desegregation plan and placed it under federal supervision. That included a requirement that the district submit routine reports on its demographics.

A Garland ISD report from June cites data indicating the majority of its students are now Hispanic, with Black students accounting for less than 20% and white students less than 15%.

Garland ISD was the only Texas school district still under a desegregation order.