en-us Copyright 2008 - All Rights Reserved. Tue, 24 Nov 2009 22:36:32 GMT 15 By Kate Schofield
Diversity, a quality of difference, can be applied to almost anything that distinguishes people, ranging from hair color to language to ethnicity. Diversity in the public school system has been questioned, fixed and questioned again. A major step towards progress in the subject of diversity was taken in 1954 when the U.S. Supreme Court instituted desegregation in schools. While many high-school students think diversity is no longer a major conflict, the Court will once again address the issue. On Dec. 4, 2006, the Supreme Court heard two cases questioning whether race should be a factor in determining where students go to school. The Court will render an opinion later this year. “It looks like they’re trying to fix segregation in schools when the bigger issue is the segregation of neighborhoods,” government teacher Jason Koerner said. “Until we address the main issue, it will not be solved, but it is a step in the right direction.” The basic argument in these recent cases is whether the student placement programs in Louisville, Ky., and Seattle, Wash., are reasonable ways to promote racial diversity or are unconstitutional plans that promote quotas. Crystal Meredith, the white mother of a Louisville student, is suing the Louisville School Board about her son’s school assignment. She blames the school board for placing her son in a school “because of his race.” The Louisville program is based on a combination of criteria, including race and location. The children are placed into a neighborhood school when they are of age to begin school and, if the parents are unhappy they can choose from a list of 10 alternative schools. Meredith’s son was assigned to a school that was farther from their home than the mom wanted. She applied for transfer and was refused because it would “‘have an adverse effect on desegregation compliance,’” according to the letter she received from the school board. Two years later she appealed, and her son was successfully transferred to another school. In Seattle a similar school placement program from 1999-2002 allowed an “open choice,” under which a student could attend any local high school. However, if the school became oversubscribed, the school system had tiebreakers. These tiebreakers included siblings attending the school already, the distance from the school and the racial makeup of the school. The Seattle case is in the Supreme Court because many of the opponents to this system, which was suspended in 2002, believe it could be reinstated. In 2003 the Supreme Court decided to allow the use of race in higher level education systems as a deciding factor for acceptance in order to promote diversity. “This is a walk-the-line issue,” junior Lauren Bishop said, because it can be seen from both sides. ]]> Mon, 21 May 2007 13:46:00 GMT