Meridian Municipal Separate School District Desegregation Plan

    ® ® 

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE 

SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF MISSISSIPPI 

EASTERN DIVISION 

JOHN BARNHARDT, et al, 

Plaintiffs, 

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, 

Plaintiff-Intervenor. : : 

Y. CIVIL ACTION NO. 1300 

MERIDIAN MUNICIPAL SEPARATE 
SCHOOL DISTRICT, et al, . 

Defendants. 

  

DESEGREGATION PLAN 
  

Come now the Defendants in the above styled and numbered 

cause, by and through one of their attorneys, and submit the 

following plan under which the said Defendants propose to 

complete the elimination of the dual school system of the 

Meridian Municipal Separate School District in accordance with 

previous orders of this Court as follows, to-wit: 

SCHOOL BOARD POLICY CONCERNING DESEGREGATION: 
  

The Board of Trustees of the Meridian Municipal Separate 

School District will: 

(A) Maintain and improve the quality of education 

and the level of consideration for all pupils; 

(B) Malntain order and discipline in all of the 

schools 

(C) Implement decisional law governing desegregation 

at the earliest practicable date in such a manner 

that all sections of the community and people of the 

 



  

district will share the burdens or benefits of 

desegregation. 

PLAN POR 19869-1970 SESSION 
  

This school year will be used to effect an orderly 

transition from the existing court approved "Jefferson Decree" 

plan for desegregation to another court approved plan, yet to 

be established, in lieu thereof for the desegregation of the 

schools of the district. The following affirmative action will 

be taken: 

1. Faculty 

Double the percentage of professional personnel 

who taught during 1968-1969 in schools where 

‘they were in the minority and bring the ratio 

to approximately one in six. During the session, 

where replacements must be made, increase the 

ratio. 

During the 1855-19580 zassien two-thirds of all 

pupils within the district were taught by a 

teacher of the opposite race from that of the 

pupil. During the 1969-1970 session this 

percentage will be increased substantially. by 

the doubling of the percentage of teachers who 

will be teaching in a minority situation. 

Pupils 

(a) Encourage desegregation by keeping open 

  

through the registration period the opportunity 

to make a choice of schools for those pupils 

who have not made a choice. 

(b) Encourage further desegregation by granting 

transfers to pupils who wish to transfer fron a 

school where they are in the majority to a 

school where they would be in the minority. 

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During the 1969-1970 session 75% of all the 

pupils in the district will be attending 

school with members of the opposite race. 

(ae) Report to the court for its approval, and 

if approved, to the public that commencing 

with the 1970-1971 session: 

(1) The Harris Junior College will be 

closed thus providing space to accomplish 

paragraph (2) next succeeding. 

(2) The two senior high schools, Harris 

and Meridian High Schools with enroll- 

ments of more than 2400 students and 130 

professional staff, will be completely 

desegregated by assigning all 10th grade 

students (approximately 900 in number) 

and their teachers to the Harris campus 

and all llth and 12th grade students and 

their teachers to the Meridian High School 

campus. 

Operate all school bus transportation on a racially 

non~discriminatory basis. 

Re~route school bus routes to increase the number 

of blacks attending traditionally white schools 

where the percentage of desegregation is the lowest. 

Continue studies of all factors related to desegre- 

gation and request the services of the Office of 

Education and its centers for equal educational 

opportunities in Atlanta and the various universities 

including the University of Southern Mississippi. 

Institute a Training Program for All Teachers To 

Prepare Them for Teaching Students Under Desegregated 

Circumstances: 

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To date, the in-service program for professional 

personnel has concerned itself with a variety of 

activities designed to better equip teachers to 

achieve the goals f their respective schools. 

However, the program projected for 1969-1870 is 

to prepare teachers to deal successfully with 

problems incident to the accelerated desegregation 

of both students and faculty. 

The two week pre-school workshop, beginning 

August 5, is designed specifically to enable 

teachers to become better prepared in the use of 

materials and methods required to achieve success 

in teaching children with a wide variety of 

cultural backgrounds and achievement levels. 

During the workshop, Dr. Raymond Patovillet, 

University of South Florida, is to present 

"Individualizing Instruction", Dr. Johnnie Ruth 

Clark (Negro), St. Petersburg Junior College, is 

scheduled to lead the faculty in "Structuring 

Learning Experiences for the Disadvantaged", 

and Dr. Lucrett Erb, Last Texas State University, 

is to work with professional organizations in 

preparing them to deal with re thEds designed to 

achieve effective group dynamics for solving 

difficult proglems, such as desegregation, and 

merger. | 

Further, the faculties of the two high schools 

will involve themselves in biracial in-service 

activities during the entire 1969-1970 school term 

designed to achieve an effective pairing of these 

two schools, and plans for an orderly transfer of 

‘both students and faculty. 

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[e
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Because of different practices in the placement 

and scheduling of pupils at the two high schools, 

any sudden change in organization will place an 

extreme hardship on many who will find it impossible 

to graduate on schedule. Thus, the 1869-1970 school 

term under the present organization will provide 

the opportunity to minimize this problem. he 

present organization has provided opportunities 

for advanced placement and flexibility of scheduling 

that could not possibly obtain in the proposed 

organization for 1970-1971. The 1970 summer session 

will of necessity be planned primarily to remediate 

schedule problems. Likewise, curriculum studies 

during our 1969-1870 school term will focus on both 

the schedule problem and course offerings in order 

to minimize duplication at the two schools. A 

“thorough study of the needs for remedial courses 

and services will be achieved during the in-service 

training of teachers. 

Both negro and white consultants will be used 

during the in-service effort in 19698-13970 to involve 

teachers of both races and to prepare for an 

effective transition. Assistance will be sought 

from the Office of Education and from the South 

Mississippi In-Service Consulting Center. 

Involve every elementary school faculty member in 

the development of a course of study in the social 

studies with an emphasis on humal relations. 

Involve English and social studies faculty members 

of the secondary schools in the development of 

bibliography and in the selection of instructional 

H aterials that deal with negro culture and history; 

also, develop guides for the use of these materials. 

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a. 

EE 

  

A study of compensatory services (such as remedial 

reading) through Title I ESEA to disadvantaged 

students attending Harris High School will be made 

and the application for funding in 1970-1971 will 

make provision for these compensatory services to 

remain with the disadvantaged student regardless of 

the school he attends. 

Attempt to assign at least half of the approximately 

one hundred intern teachers expected from the 

teacher training institutions at schools where their 

race will be in the minority. 

The staffs of both senior high schools, Harris and 

Meridian, will make an analysis of the inventories 

of all the equipment and materials of instruction 

+o determine which items should be transferred to 

the other school to meet curriculum needs: the 10th 

grade at Harris, the llth and 12th grade at Meridian 

High School; and, transfer and install these materials 

and equipment at the appropriate school. 

For example: 

(a) Biology is offered at 10th grade level 

at both schools; all pieces of science 

equipment will be moved from Meridian High 

and installed at Harris campus such as 

microscopes, aquariums, slides, specimens, 

models, test tubes, animal cages, chemicals, 

books, Films, film strips, etc. 

Also, since there are only two biology 

laboratories at Harris and at least four 

‘will be required in the new setup there, 

other facilities at Harris campus will be 

converted for the use of biology laboratories 

when the 10th grade is installed at Harris. 

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(b) Physics and chemistry. Thess subjects 

are taught in the llth and 12th grades at 

both high schools. Plans will be implemented 

for pov ing taberials and equipment in these 

subjects to Meridian High and for adapting 

a yet unknown number of the present biology 

facilities at Meridian High School for 

teaching chemistry and physics. 

(ec) Vocational shops. At both schools are 

two well equipped vocational shops with equip- 

ment valued at above one-half million dollars. 

Determination will be made as to which shops 

will be maintained at Harris and which at 

Meridian High School. Auto mechanics, elec- 

tronics and basic electricity are taught at 

both schools. Carpentry, masonry and body and 

fender repair are taught at Harris only. 

Refrigeration, welding and small engines are 

taught only at Meridian. An analysis of 

students’ choices by grade will be made to 

determine which subjects will be offered at 

Harris and which subjects at Meridian. Then 

it will be decided which pieces of equipment 

will be moved. Space must be provided for new 

shops, power lines run, and equipment be 

installed. Not less than three months will be 

required to 2cconpiioh the transfer and 

“installment of the equipment in these shops. 

Approval must be secured from the State 

Department of Vocational Education before 

any of the above can be done. 

(d) Library.. The Harris library has 12,000 

volumes, -many- of them bought for the junior 

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college. The Meridian library has 14,000 

volumes. In addition both libraries are the 

custodians of hundres of films, film strips, 

. 

projectors and other audio-visual materials 

and equipment. An analysis will be made of 

each book and audio-visual holding to determine 

its appropriateness for the l0th grade at 

Harris and the llth and 12th grades at Meridian. 

Before the opening of the 1970-1971 session, 

holdings that must be transferred will be 

transferred, accessioned, and shelved at the 

appropriate library. This will require a full 

year's work. 

(e) Harris and Meridian are custodians of 

state owned Cexibonks These will be 

inventoried, analyzed for appropriateness, 

transferred and re-inventoried. at the school 

+o which they will be sent. 

(f) Harris and Meridian each have separate 

excellent bands with different colors of 

uniforms and with thousands of dollars 

worth of equipment, music and uniforms. 

A determination will be made as to how the 

two school bands will be merged, if there 

will be a tenth grade band and a llth and 

12th grade band or what arrangements will 

be made. New uniforms may be required. At 

the end of the year, equipment and uniforms 

will be transferred as needed between Harris 

and Meridian High Schools. 

(g) Harris and Meridian each have full 

athletic programs, uniforms, and equipment. 

Each belong to separate athletic conferences; 

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“ls 

and, both have made contractural commitments 

for football, basketball, baseball, etc., 

games at home and away for the 1869-1970 

session. Other school districts are involved 

in these commitments and financial guarantees 

have been made between Harris High School and 

Meridian High School and these other schools; 

also between Harris Junior College and other 

. junior colleges. Equipment has been purchased 

to be paid for from proceeds from games 

scheduled. This is true of all schools 

involved in these contracts. 

(h) A decision will be made to determine iE 

10th grade pupils will be allowed to play 

on llth and 12th grade varsity teams. An 

effort will be made to arrange schedules for 

10th grade teams for 1970-1971. Equipment 

and uniforms as needed will be transferred. 

(i) The above are illustrations of what will 

be done in each department at both schools. 

Preparatory for 1970-1971 changes, new constructions, 

alterations, modifications to plants and facilities 

will be made to accommodate the changes required by 

converting Harris Junior College-~High School to a 

l0th grade only school and Mewidian +o The 11th and 

12th grade only school. For example: 

(a) There are three new engellently equipped 

‘home economics laboratories at Harris. 

According to current estimates only one of 

them will be needed for the 10th grade. The 

other spaces will be converted to other 

appropriate uses. 

(db) The wooden shop building at Harris will 

be unneeded. The equipment therein will be 

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transferred, the building demolished, and 

the space converted to an appropriate use. 

(¢) At the present Harris High School-Junior 

College campus physical education facilities 

that are designed for college and llth and 

12th grade students must be adapted for a 

school that has 10th grade students only. 

13. Staffing and Administration Organization 

(a) A decision will be made before May 1, 

1970, as to what will be the responsibility 

. of the administrative head of Harris and Meridian 

High School when the planned reorganization 

ocours. It must be determined whether both 

will be independent principals or whether the 

administrator at Harris will be an assistant 

to the principal at the Meridian High School. 

Individuals will be chosen for these positions 

and job descriptions written for them. 

Assistants wi%l be chosen for these admini- 

strators and their duties defined. 

(b) Teachers will be recruited and assigned 

to fit the peculiar curriculum needs and the 

number of students enrolled at a 10th grade 

school and at a llth and 12th grade school. 

14. The pairing of Mowrddian and Harris High Schools will 

adversely affect the limited private transportation 

system provided by Meridian City Lines, Inc. The 

administrative staff will work in close cooperation 

with the Meridian City Lines in the Apring of 1870 

in order to make the necessary route adjustments to 

render services to those 10th, llth and: 12th grade 

students who would depend on the Meridian City Lines 

for transportation to and from school. 

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: 15. At the Harris High School most of the faculty and 

pupils either walk or use public transportation to 

and from school; whereas, at Meridian High School 

most of the faculty and approximately 50% of the 

pupils use private automobiles. At the Harris High 

School, the ingress and egress as well as the parking 

facilities are quite limited because of present demands. 

The cooperation of the City of Meridian will be 

sought to expand the parking facilities, to widen 

streets, to open additional streets where possible, 

to construct new sidewalks and implement a traffic 

safety procedure to reduce traffic hazards that would 

occur with the substantial increased flow of traffic 

on the narrow and limited number of streets now used 

as access to the school. 

16. (a) The guidance program at Harris High School has 

been operated to serve special needs and problems 

of negro students. The guidance departments at 

the high school level will begin to jointly plan 

revisions in the total guidance program including 

the course of study for group guidance classes which 

was written to serve an all white high school. The 

thrust of these efforts will be to insure the 

maintenance of the strong points of both the 

Meridian and Harris programs. Further, the guidance 

staff must develop effective means of continuing 

to meet the special needs of disadvantaged students. 

(b) The counseling or advisement of pupils regarding 

courses to be taken is a major undertaking. Many 

factors in educational planning must be considered 

for each high school student. These factors include: 

courses previously taken, relation of courses to 

graduation plans, test scores, personal problems 

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17. 

1.8. 

related to student learning, and many others. 

This counseling or advisement must be accomplished 

in the light of courses taught in the given school. 

We will begin immediately to orient counselors at 

both Harris and Meridian so that they may be 

effective in advising students within the proposed 

changes. For example, different procedures of 

registration are now used at each school. The 

' proposed program would result in a common procedue 

so that advisement for registration would be uniform. 

Thus, when the proposed changes occur, counselors 

will be able to function in either school. 

A bi-racial committee of high school faculty will be 

a-pointed to plan the 1870-1871 student activities 

program. Student activities such as athletics, band, 

organizations, and publications require lead time 

g. For example, this fall's football schedule 
Low ] plannin 

has been planned since last spring. We propose that 

a bi-racial committee of faculty shall begin planning 

immediately the high school activities program for 

1870-1971. Student identity with the school is 

derived largely from participation in various student 

activities. We propose that this committee's plan 

would begin being implemented in the Spring of 1970 

+o the end that a unitary activities program obtain 

in the 1970-1971 school year. 

The district will seek the assistance of state and 

regional accrediting agencies 'in achieving approval 

of changes to be aB60inl Lesher under the plan. As 

these agencies have been instrumental in assisting 

Meridian schools to attain present levels of quality 

it is important that the Meridian District continue 

to plan with their assistance. Many proposed changes 

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have implications for the continued accreditation 

of the high schools. Consultation with agencies 

such as the Commission on Secondary Schools of the 

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools is 

vital to an orderly and on-going approach to the 

maintenance. of educational quality. Meridian High 

School was first accredited in 1922 by the Southern 

Association. Harris High School was the first Negro 

high school in Mississippi to be accredited by the 

Southern Associlation.. The value of this consultation 

is that planning can be accomplished in light of 

the standars of quality imposed by the Southern 

Association. It is of paramount importance to this 

district that this accreditation be maintained. 

18. The Meridian School District is one of 122 districts 

in our region in which all elementary schools are 

accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges 

and Schools. Continuing correspondence with that 

agency regarding the effect of any plan upon the 

acoreditation of the elementary 8 diools is of vital 

importance to this district. We propose to seek the 

assistance of the Commission on Elementary Schools 

of the Southern Association in evaluating any proposed 

plans for desegregation of the elementary schools. 

This procedure is necessary to the maintenance of 

elementary school accreditation by the Southern 

Association. 

20. The Board will direct the staff of Meridian Junior 

College to begin now developign a financial aid 

program which will provide for the financial needs 

of students who will be displaced by the termination 

of Harris Junior College. Meridian Junior College 

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22. 

I. Senior Hig 

will work to develop applications for student 

assistance through various programs of federal 

support such as the National Defence Education Act, 

the College Work Study Program, and/or the Economic 

opportunity grants. The deadlines for such appli- 

cations is normally late fall or mid-winter. 

Meridian Junior College would need to begin 

immediately working with staff at Harris Junior 

College to develop these application. 

Further, the Board will direct the professional 

staff at Meridian Junior College to begin developing 

an application for assistance under Title III of 

the Higher Education Act. This title provides 

financial assitance to "developing colleges" as they 

work to strengthen teachers, improve teaching 

materials, and in the accomplishment of other. 

projects for the improvement of instruction. This 

application should request specific assistance for 

Meridian Junior College in helping students and 

faculty make the many transitions to be required 

during 1870-1971. The deadline for this application 

is November 15 of each year. 

Develop and implement a program to inform personnel, 

parents, and the general public about the plan for 

the elimination of the dual school system within 

the district. 

PLAN FOR 1970-1971 SESSION 
  

CY 

nh Schools 
  

(a) Close Harris Junior College thus providing space 

on the campus of the present Harris Junior College and 

Harris High School to accomplish paragraph (b) next 

succeeding. 

  

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{b) Assign all 10th grade students in the district 

to the Harris High campus and all llth and 12th grade 

students in the district to the Meridian High School 

Campus. 

(ec) Completely desegregate the faculty a5 Poth the 

Harris High campus and the Meridian High School campus. 

II. Junior High Schools (involves 4 schools, 3,000 pupils 
  

and 150 staff) 

(a) Continue assignment of pupils on the basis of the 

"Jefferson Decree" desegregation plan. 

(b) Completely desegregate the faculty. 

(c) Report to the court by February 1, 1971, the details 

of the school district plan for complete elimination of 

+he dual school system effectively with the 1971-1972 

session. 

(d) Initiate and accomplish, where applicable, projects 

similar to those proposed to be accomplished for the 

senior high schools during the 1969-1970 transition 

and thereby prepare for the complete desegregation of 

the junior high schools in an orderly and effective 

manner. 

III. Elementary Schools (involves 13 schools, 6,000 students, 
  

230 faculty) 

(a) Completely desesranate the faculty. 

(b) Continue non-discriminatory school bus routing and 

“transportation. 

(¢) Continue studies of all factors involving pupil 

assignment, including free choice, zoning, pairing of 

schools. The factors would include, but not be limited 

to, school finances, traffic hazards, distances to be 

travelled, residential satierns and organization of 

elementary schools. 

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Te 

HR 

PLAN FOR 1971-1972 SESSION 
  

Senior High Schools 
  

(a) Assign all 10%] grade students in the district 

to the Harris High sampus and all llth and 12th 

grade students in the district to the Meridian High 

School campus, 

(b) Continue complete desegregation of the faculty 

at both the Harris High campus and the Meridian High 

School campus. 

Junior High Schools 
  

(a) Assign pupils on the basis of the detailed plan sub- 

mitted to the court on February 1, 1971, for the complete 

desegregation of the student. body. 

(b) Continue complete desegregation of faculty. 

Llementary. Schools 
  

(a) Continue complete desesrenation of the faculty. 

(b) Continue non~discriminatory school bus routing and 

transporation. 

(c) Report to the Court by February 1, 1972, the details 

of the school district plan for complete elimination of 

the dual school system effective with the 1972-1973 

session. 

  

PLAN FOR 1872-1973 SESSION 

  

Continue same plan as 1971-1972 session. 

Junior High Schools 
  

Continue same plan as 1971-1972 session. 

Llementary Schools 
  

(a) Assign pupils on the basis of the detailed plan sub- v 

mitted to the Court on February 1, 1872, for the complete 

desegregation of the student body. 

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(b) Continue complete desegregation of faculty. 

{(¢) Continue non-discriminatory school bus routing and 

transportation. 

Respectfully submitted 

MERIDIAN MUNICIPAL SEPARATE 
SCHOOL DISTRICT, ET AL: 

By: (Wig. OD Conlon 
William B. Compton// 
426 Citizens National Bank 

Building 
Pr. 0. Box 548 
Meridian, Mississippi 39301 

  

CORBIN 
  

The undersigned, of counsel of record for Meridian 

Municipal Separate School District, et al, hereby certifies 

that a true and correct copy of the above and foregoing 

Desegregation Plan was forwarded by United States Mail, 

postage prepaid, to the Honorable Robert E. Hauberg, United 

States Attorney, Jackson, Mississippi, and to Honorable 

Reuben V. Anderson, Attorney, 538-1/2 North Farish Street, 

Jackson, Mississippi. | 

This the llth day of August, 1969. 

I] 5 / C ~— 

? ~ | ) C3 b —— 

nla.) B, Caorglas 
  

William B. Comptog) of counsel 
for Defendants