Prince Edward Schools Experiment in Education 

Prince Edward Schools Experiment in Education 

Creator Jet Magazine
Description This brief article from the October 3, 1963 issue of Jet Magazine, explains about the newly reopened Prince Edward County’s free public schools “experiment in education.” The article states that: The school system will have an estimated 1,700 negro pupils and four whites, will have two elementary schools, an intermediate and a high school, but no grades. ‘Children will be grouped according to age, size, and mental ability’…’and will be given the opportunity to progress at their own speed.’
Call number
Date from 1963
Date to 1963
Geographic school Prince Edward County, VA
Size 1 article
Access restrictions yes/no no
Access restrictions
Part Of larger collection yes/no no
Larger collection title
URL http://www.worldcat.org/title/jet/oclc/34163826&referer=brief_results
Repository OCLC World Cat
Repository address http://www.worldcat.org/
Repository contact name
Repository contact title
Repository contact email
Repository contact phone
DoveRegion other
Subjects o    African American students

o    African Americans–Civil rights

o    African American–Segregation

o    High school students

o    Middle school students

o    Public schools

o    Race relations

o    School children

o    School closings

o    School integration

o    School integration–Massive resistance movement

o    Public schools–Virginia–Prince Edward County

o    African Americans–Education–Virginia–Prince Edward County

Types o    Press releases

o    Reports

USDC, Western District of Virginia, Charlottesville Division, Civil Action Case #102- Karol Williams, et al vs. the School Board of the City of Charlottesville, the County School Board of Albemarle County, et al

USDC, Western District of Virginia, Charlottesville Division, Civil Action Case #102- Karol Williams, et al vs. the School Board of the City of Charlottesville, the County School Board of Albemarle County, et als 

Creator USDC, Western District of Virginia, Charlottesville Division
Description In 1950, the City of Charlottesville used public funds to purchase land in which to construct what became Burley High school. Burley had a wholly African-American student body and faculty, up to and including the principle. Burley was unique in that it was the only school to be jointly funded and generally under the jurisdiction of the City of Charlottesville and the County of Albemarle. Upon graduating from elementary schools, City and County black children alike were regularly assigned to this institution, whereas their white counterparts found themselves assigned to high schools controlled and funded by their original, respective jurisdictions, solely. Setting aside the issue of dual race educational systems, it was seen that the joint Charlottesville-Albemarle venture posed serious difficulties and imposed barriers on its students not experienced likewise by other, normal, schools. In January of 1963, the school boards of each district separately, yet cooperatively approved measures to construct a new facility on the Burley High property for the schooling of entirely black junior high students. The plaintiffs argued that if carried out, the construction project would “considerably delay and for a long time prevent compliance with the mandate of the 14th Amendment-.that local school authorities take steps to end racial discrimination in the assignment of children to public schools.” As a result of Edward W. Rushton, Division Superintendent of Schools of the City of Charlottesville, saying that the City had resolved to discontinue its participation in the Burley High School at the close of the 1966-67 year, the Court deemed it appropriate to dismiss the case. There was no objection by the counsel for the plaintiff.
Call number Civil Action Case #102
Date from 1963
Date to 1965
Geographic school Charlottesville, Albemarle County
Size unknown
Access restrictions yes/no
Access restrictions
Part Of larger collection yes/no
Larger collection title
URL
Repository NARA Mid-Atlantic Region
Repository address 14700 Townsend Road, Philadelphia, PA 19154-1096
Repository contact name David Weber
Repository contact title Director, Records Management Program
Repository contact email philadelphia.reference@nara.gov
Repository contact phone (215) 305-2000
DoveRegion (outside of Virginia)
Subjects o    African American students

o    African Americans–Civil rights

o    African Americans–Segregation

o    Public schools

o    Race relations

o    School children

o    Segregation in education

Types o    Clippings

o    Correspondence

o    Legal documents

USDC, Eastern District of Virginia, Richmond Division, Civil Action Case #3579- Mark J. Belton, Jr., an infant, etc. vs. the County School Board of King George County, Virginia, et al 

USDC, Eastern District of Virginia, Richmond Division, Civil Action Case #3579- Mark J. Belton, Jr., an infant, etc. vs. the County School Board of King George County, Virginia, et al 

Creator USDC, Eastern District of Virginia, Richmond Division
Description In 1962, thirty-eight African-American students and their parents filed suit against the defendants, hoping gain admittance into the County’s all-white public schools. The School Board, Superintendent, and each of the school board members said that any placement issues ought to be brought up with the State’s Pupil Placement Board. The Board responded in alleging that each of the infant plaintiff’s was not placed in their respective desired schools as a result of their distance from the institution or lack of academic qualifications. It was admitted that all other administrative options had already been exhausted by the plaintiff’s families. The Court finds that the School Board operates six schools within the County, only two of which are open to any more than a small handful of blacks. An attendance boundary for each of these schools was seen to be very flexible. The Pupil Placement Board has placed 29 black students into mostly white schools in the County already, without court order. Typically, the School Board makes “tentative assignments” for students in the County and forwards them to the Placement Board, where they are accepted unless a student in question makes formal protest. White students it was found need not even apply to gain admission to a predominately white school, merely show up; the criteria by which white and black students were judged on was far from equal. The Court found the dual system of schooling discriminatory and granted the plaintiffs admission to the school which they applied. Furthermore, a general injunction against racial discrimination in their admission process was awarded. Counsel fees were not awarded.
Call number Civil Action Case #3579
Date from 1962
Date to 1968
Geographic school King George County, VA
Size unknown
Access restrictions yes/no
Access restrictions
Part Of larger collection yes/no
Larger collection title
URL
Repository NARA Mid-Atlantic Region
Repository address 14700 Townsend Road, Philadelphia, PA 19154-1096
Repository contact name David Weber
Repository contact title Director, Records Management Program
Repository contact email philadelphia.reference@nara.gov
Repository contact phone (215) 305-2000
DoveRegion (outside of Virginia)
Subjects o    African American students

o    African Americans–Civil rights

o    Public schools

o    School children

o    School integration

o    Segregation in education

o    Virginia. Pupil Placement Board

Types o    Correspondence

o    Legal documents

USDC, Eastern District of Virginia, Richmond Division, Civil Action Case #3536- United States of America vs. School Board of Prince George County, et al 

USDC, Eastern District of Virginia, Richmond Division, Civil Action Case #3536- United States of America vs. School Board of Prince George County, et al 

Creator USDC, Eastern District of Virginia, Richmond Division
Description In October 1962, the United States sought an injunction requiring Prince George County to admit the African-American children who were dependents of military and civilian personnel stationed or employed at Fort Lee to its white schools. The U.S. argued that the County assured it that its school facilities would be made available to federally-connected children on the same basis as those available to local youngsters. Additionally, the plaintiff claims that it was “burdened to exercise its use of war powers under the Constitution” in attempts to remedy the situation. There are 159 school-age dependents of black military personnel and 426 of black civilian personnel stationed or employed at/by Fort Lee, situated in Prince George County. Though no educational facilities are maintained on the U.S. Army base, neither its facilities nor activities are segregated by race. The School Board terminated its agreement of providing schooling for Fort Lee’s dependent students as a result of alleged overcrowding, however it was found that the Pupil Placement Board admitted over 300 new students after denying the applications of children of black servicemen earlier. The County was receiving an excess of $1.5 million in federal grants for the new construction of schools upon assuring their ongoing commitment to the education of federally-connected children. The Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare was aware of the County’s separate school system upon agreeing to the grants, however ruled on March 30, 1962 that racially segregated education of children on federal property was not “suitable.” Furthermore, the Department of Defense would not allow the transfers of black servicemen stationed at Fort Lee who cited the segregated system of their children’s education as a cause. The Court ruled that the U.S. would not be returned the funds it provided the County in construction grants as they anticipated using the facilities similarly to those operating in the surrounding area. Additionally, the United States’ use of the War Powers Act upon domestic affairs such as the one in question is not prohibited. The County simply must make schooling of some sort available to federally-connected children, as per the pre-arranged contract between the School Board of Prince George County and the United States of America.
Call number Civil Action Case #3536
Date from 1962
Date to 1963
Geographic school Prince George County, VA
Size 2 Boxes
Access restrictions yes/no
Access restrictions
Part Of larger collection yes/no
Larger collection title
URL
Repository NARA Mid-Atlantic Region
Repository address 14700 Townsend Road, Philadelphia, PA 19154-1096
Repository contact name David Weber
Repository contact title Director, Records Management Program
Repository contact email philadelphia.reference@nara.gov
Repository contact phone (215) 305-2000
DoveRegion (outside of Virginia)
Subjects o    African American students

o    African Americans–Civil rights

o    Public schools

o    School children

o    School integration

o    Segregation in education

o    Virginia. Pupil Placement Board

o    Public schools–Virginia–Prince George County

o    African American soldiers

o    District courts–Virginia

o    Executive orders–United States

o    United States. United States. Department of Defense

o    Children of military personnel

Types o    Correspondence

o    Legal documents

USDC, Western District of Virginia, Lynchburg Division, Civil Action Case #534-Jackson et al vs. School Board of Lynchburg 

USDC, Western District of Virginia, Lynchburg Division, Civil Action Case #534-Jackson et al vs. School Board of Lynchburg 

Creator USDC, Western District of Virginia, Lynchburg Division
Description In September 1961, the parents of Cecelia Jackson, Linda Woodruff, Owen Cardwell, and Brenda Hughes filed suit against the School Board of Lynchburg and the Pupil Placement Board of the Commonwealth of Virginia in U.S. District Court. The plaintiffs petitioned the court to have their children admitted to the all-white E.C. Glass High School in Lynchburg, alleging that the school board of Lynchburg was not complying with the Brown vs. Board of Education Supreme Court rulings that called for school desegregation. In November 1961, Judge Thomas Michie ordered the school board of Lynchburg to admit Linda Woodruff and Owen Cardwell to E.C. Glass High School but denied admission to Cecelia Jackson and Brenda Hughes, claiming that their grades and low-scores in their aptitude tests made them academically unfit for admission to E.C. Glass High School. Judge Michie also ordered the school board to submit a plan for desegregating the Lynchburg school system. The school board submitted a plan in February 1962 calling for the desegregation of the Lynchburg school system at one grade per year. The Judge approved the plan. The plaintiffs appealed the judge’s ruling with regards to Cecelia Jackson and Brenda Hughes and the desegregation plan submitted by the school board of Lynchburg to the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals. In September 1962, the Court of Appeals reversed the Michie’s ruling denying admission of Jackson and Hughes to the E.C. Glass School and the desegregation plan of the Lynchburg School Board. Jackson and Hughes were ordered to be admitted to the E.C. Glass High School and the School Board of Lynchburg was ordered to submit a new plan for desegregation. For the next nine years the case would continue to be adjudicated with regards to handling the question as to how and when the Lynchburg School system would be desegregated. It would not be until 1971 that a final plan would be put into effect that created a racially balanced school district in the City of Lynchburg.
Call number Civil Action Case #534
Date from 1961
Date to 1971
Geographic school Lynchburg, VA
Size unknown
Access restrictions yes/no no
Access restrictions
Part Of larger collection yes/no
Larger collection title
URL
Repository NARA Mid-Atlantic Region
Repository address 14700 Townsend Road, Philadelphia, PA 19154-1096
Repository contact name David Weber
Repository contact title Director, Records Management Program
Repository contact email philadelphia.reference@nara.gov
Repository contact phone (215) 305-2000
DoveRegion (outside of Virginia)
 

 

 

 

 

 

Subject 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Types

o    African American students

o    African Americans–Civil rights

o    African Americans–Segregation

o    High school students

o    Public schools

o    School integration

o    Segregation in education

o    Topeka (Kan.). Board of Education–Trials, litigation, etc.

o

o    Virginia. Pupil Placement Board

o    District courts–Virginia

o    United States. Court of Appeals (4th Circuit)

o    Public schools–Virginia–Lynchburg

o    Virginia. Supreme Court of Appeals

o     Legal Dccuments

 

USDC, Eastern District of Virginia, Richmond Division, Civil Action Case #3365- David F. Anderson, et al vs. The School Board if the Town of West Point, et al 

USDC, Eastern District of Virginia, Richmond Division, Civil Action Case #3365- David F. Anderson, et al vs. The School Board of the Town of West Point, et al 

Creator USDC, Eastern District of Virginia, Richmond Division
Description Ten African American students and their parents filed suit after being denied admission to the public school to which they applied as residents. The reasons for denial included “distance” and “lack of academic qualifications.” The Town School Board and the Superintendent of Schools answered the complaint in shifting sole responsibility to the State Pupil Placement Board as per the Pupil Placement Act of Virginia. As a school district, the Town of West Point had a combined white elementary and high school known as West Point School and an African-American elementary school, known as Beverly Allen School. Black high school students were educated outside of the Town pursuant to arrangements made with neighboring counties in possession of minority high schools. As a result of policy and procedure within the West Point school administration, any black applicants applying to the all-white school, their files were coded as irregular and red flagged upon being referred to the State Pupil Placement Board. At this stage, black students withstood a rigorous degree of scrutiny in the inspection of their residential and scholastic merits unparalleled to that of their Caucasian counterparts. The State Pupil Placement Board claimed to be somehow unaware that the town in question only possessed one high school. It subsequently adopted a policy of assigning all high school aged students within the town applying to West Point High School admission, without consideration of any residential or scholastic criteria. The School Board and Division Superintendent of Schools were expected to submit to the Court a plan, eliminating the discriminatory application process from their admission process at the elementary school level by the 1962-1963 mid-term session. The Court later struck down the School Board’s racially unbiased blueprint of operation and allowed until May 27, 1968 to provide an updated plan.
Call number Civil Action Case #3365
Date from 1961
Date to 1968
Geographic school King William County, VA
Size unknown
Access restrictions yes/no
Access restrictions
Part Of larger collection yes/no
Larger collection title
URL
Repository NARA Mid-Atlantic Region
Repository address 14700 Townsend Road, Philadelphia, PA 19154-1096
Repository contact name David Weber
Repository contact title Director, Records Management Program
Repository contact email philadelphia.reference@nara.gov
Repository contact phone (215) 305-2000
DoveRegion (outside of Virginia)
Subjects o    African American students

o    African Americans–Civil rights

o    Public schools

o    School children

o    School integration

o    Segregation in education

Types o    Correspondence

o    Legal documents

USDC, Eastern District of Virginia, Richmond Division, Civil Action Case #2819- Lorna Renee Warden et al vs. the School Board of the City of Richmond, Virginia, et al 

USDC, Eastern District of Virginia, Richmond Division, Civil Action Case #2819- Lorna Renee Warden et al vs. the School Board of the City of Richmond, Virginia, et al 

Creator USDC, Eastern District of Virginia, Richmond Division
Description Prior to the start of the 1958-59 school year, each of the infant plaintiffs timely applied for admission to Richmond City public schools as resident citizens. The schools to which they applied were exclusively maintained and attended by whites; the defendants did not gain admission and were subsequently assigned to all-black institutions. The Defendants owned, maintained and operated forty elementary schools, eight junior high schools, four senior high schools and six special schools within the City of Richmond. School children “classified as Negroes had been permitted to attend only eighteen of the elementary schools, three of the junior high schools, two of the senior high schools and one of the special schools” enrollment at the remainder of the institutions was available exclusively to those children not classified as Negroes. The plaintiff’s argued that they were denied liberty without due process of the law and the equal protection guaranteed under the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution. When questioned why Daisy Jane Cooper (plaintiff), age nine’s, transfer from George Washington Carver Elementary School to the Westhampton School was denied by the Pupil Placement Board, the Division Superintendent acknowledged that “had the Cooper child been a white child living at the same address” I presume she would have attended the Westhampton School. The Court concluded that this was a clear case of discrimination based on race as the only reason the Cooper child was denied her transfer was because she was black. It was decided that the Commonwealth’s Pupil Placement Board’s policy and practices were unconstitutional and thereby granted Cooper admission to the Westhampton School. Cooper was admitted to the institution as an individual, not as a class or group; all of the original plaintiffs with the exception of the Cooper’s voluntarily withdrew from the case.
Call number Civil Action Case #2819
Date from 1958
Date to 1962
Geographic school Richmond, VA
Size unknown
Access restrictions yes/no
Access restrictions
Part Of larger collection yes/no
Larger collection title
URL
Repository NARA Mid-Atlantic Region
Repository address 14700 Townsend Road, Philadelphia, PA 19154-1096
Repository contact name David Weber
Repository contact title Director, Records Management Program
Repository contact email philadelphia.reference@nara.gov
Repository contact phone (215) 305-2000
DoveRegion (outside of Virginia)
Subjects o    African American students

o    African Americans–Civil rights

o    Public schools

o    School children

o    School integration

o    Segregation in education

o    Virginia. Pupil Placement Board

Types o    Correspondence

o    Legal documents

USDC, Eastern District of Virginia, Richmond Division, Civil Action Case #3431- Sheila Jane McLeod, et al vs. the County School Board of Chesterfield County, Virginia, et al 

USDC, Eastern District of Virginia, Richmond Division, Civil Action Case #3431- Sheila Jane McLeod, et al vs. the County School Board of Chesterfield County, Virginia, et al 

Creator USDC, Eastern District of Virginia, Richmond Division
Description In early 1962, fifteen African-American students filed a class action suit seeking to require their transfer from Negro public schools to white public schools. The plaintiffs alleged that race was the sole factor requiring their attendance at a black school and white students to attend a white school, conversely. On or about December 20, 1961, the Superintendent of Schools notified the infant plaintiff’s parents that their respective children would be transferred to the Dupuy Road School, effective January 2, 1962, not the Ettrick Elementary School as requested. No hearing or forum to redress grievances was made availed to them. The Pupil Placement Board denied the charges against them after the School Board sought to shift responsibility onto it, alleging that overcrowding coupled with a mid-year transfer to a newly constructed facility was to blame; the transfer was said to have been made without prejudice. The Court found that Chesterfield County was an area experiencing “rapid population growth,” possessing ten Negro schools and twenty white ones; “negro students are not admitted to white schools on the same basis as white students attending these schools” [the County is] operating a system of dual attendance areas. The Court concluded that racial discrimination in the admission of students to schools is prohibited. However, as the transfer of the plaintiffs occurred to assist District in populating a newly opened school so that it could be adequately utilized, their request for an injunction was denied. Given the circumstances, latitude was seen fit; there was an absence of proof that the transfer was done to “accomplish discrimination.”
Call number Civil Action Case #3431
Date from 1962
Date to 1977
Geographic school Chesterfield County, VA
Size unknown
Access restrictions yes/no
Access restrictions
Part Of larger collection yes/no
Larger collection title
URL
Repository NARA Mid-Atlantic Region
Repository address 14700 Townsend Road, Philadelphia, PA 19154-1096
Repository contact name David Weber
Repository contact title Director, Records Management Program
Repository contact email philadelphia.reference@nara.gov
Repository contact phone (215) 305-2000
DoveRegion (outside of Virginia)
Subjects o    African American students

o    African Americans–Civil rights

o    Public schools

o    School children

o    School integration

o    Segregation in education

Types o    Correspondence

o    Legal documents

USDC, Eastern District of Virginia, Richmond Division, Civil Action Case #4273- Angela Walker, etc., et al vs. the County School Board of Brunswick County, Virginia, et al 

USDC, Eastern District of Virginia, Richmond Division, Civil Action Case #4273- Angela Walker, etc., et al vs. the County School Board of Brunswick County, Virginia, et al 

Creator USDC, Eastern District of Virginia, Richmond Division
Description After a suit was filed on March 17, 1965 on behalf of black pupils in Brunswick County, VA in objection to the dual-system of schooling in the County, the School Board submitted to the Court a plan for desegregation. This plan, submitted on May 11, 1966, was deferred by the Court so that the Board had an opportunity to amend it, taking into account the allocation of faculty and staff (on a non-racial basis). Filed June 28 with the Clerk of Court, the amended desegregation plan first outlined the pre-registration program for first grade students entering the District. The registration was to be well-publicized and afford parents the opportunity to select the school they deemed best for their children. Those who pre-registered would receive preference over those who registered and those who registered over those who did not. The proper paperwork appears to have been available anytime prior to the commencement of a given semester. Next, upon completion of seventh grade, students were to receive paperwork that enabled them and their parents to select the school they wish to continue their education at in eighth grade. After selection and in between theses aforementioned “critical placement years,” students would automatically be assigned to the school they attended the previous semester unless they made a formal request with the County. No pupil was to be favored or penalized based on their school choice. Overcrowding was the only permitted reason for rejection of the application of preference. In the event of overcrowding, selection was to be done on a rolling basis, without racial or ethnic basis. In this event, pupils were to be assigned to their second choice school or the closest one to their residence. Extracurricular activities and transportation were to be made available to all students without prejudice. All faculty and staff were to be reassigned to schools and classrooms without racial consideration of themselves or the composition of their students. All future applicants were to be considered equally without prejudice. Additionally it was specifically stated that black teachers in formerly black schools were required to teach a given amount of courses at the previously all-white schools. A black “elementary school supervisor” and a white “Director of Instruction,” both already employed by the County, were to be retained and now share responsibility of supervising all schools in the County, the formerly all-black and all-white alike. Though the plaintiff filed a complaint advocating exceptions to the plan, it was accepted in its original form, though “no rigid formula was required,” according to the Court.
Call number Civil Action Case #4273
Date from 1965
Date to 1970
Geographic school Brunswick County, VA
Size unknown
Access restrictions yes/no
Access restrictions
Part Of larger collection yes/no
Larger collection title
URL
Repository NARA Mid-Atlantic Region
Repository address 14700 Townsend Road, Philadelphia, PA 19154-1096
Repository contact name David Weber
Repository contact title Director, Records Management Program
Repository contact email philadelphia.reference@nara.gov
Repository contact phone (215) 305-2000
DoveRegion (outside of Virginia)
Subjects o    School integration

o    Segregation in education

o    Virginia. Department of Education

Types o    Correspondence

o    Legal documents

o    Organizational Records

o    Pamphlets

USDC, Eastern District of Virginia, Richmond Division, Civil Action Case #4274- Stephanie V. Thompson, et al vs. the County School Board of Hanover County, VA, et al 

USDC, Eastern District of Virginia, Richmond Division, Civil Action Case #4274- Stephanie V. Thompson, et al vs. the County School Board of Hanover County, VA, et al 

Creator USDC, Eastern District of Virginia, Richmond Division
Description This early 1965 case was brought to trial on behalf of the students and prospective students of Hanover County. The plaintiffs filed a class action suit asking the defendants to adopt and implement a plan, which would promptly end racial segregation in the county schools. The plaintiffs also sought attorney fees. Pupil assignments had been determined by a “dual attendance area,” derived from the Virginia Pupil Placement Act, 1950. In 1963, ten black students were assigned to white schools, the following year 18, the next one 50. Six out of a total of 16 schools had no black children in attendance at all; 12 have been designated as primarily white. Additionally, the faculty had not been integrated. When the School Board failed to act on the April, 1964 request for integration by the black community, this suit came to fruition. On March 4, 1965, the Hanover County school superintendent notified the State Superintendent of Public Instruction that the school officials intended to comply with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. On June 3, the county submitted a desegregation plan to the Department of Health, Education and Welfare. Two months later, the school board adopted a revised plan, which was eventually approved by the U.S. Commissioner of Education on September 3. The plan adopted was a traditional “freedom-of-choice” one, which allowed for pupils to select the school they desired without fear of negative reproductions. Those who did not submit preferences to the county would be assigned to the school nearest their home without regard to race, ethnicity or national origin. Additionally, all racial discrimination that may have existed in the assignment of teachers or administrative personnel was to cease and be reversed. Lastly, “all services, facilities, activities and programs [including transportation] affiliated with or sponsored by the school system shall be administered without regard to race, color or national origin.” The plaintiff’s request for council fees was denied and denied again upon appeal.
Call number Civil Action Case #4274
Date from 1965
Date to 1973
Geographic school Hanover County, VA
Size unknown
Access restrictions yes/no
Access restrictions
Part Of larger collection yes/no
Larger collection title
URL
Repository NARA Mid-Atlantic Region
Repository address 14700 Townsend Road, Philadelphia, PA 19154-1096
Repository contact name David Weber
Repository contact title Director, Records Management Program
Repository contact email philadelphia.reference@nara.gov
Repository contact phone (215) 305-2000
DoveRegion (outside of Virginia)
Subjects o    African American students

o    African Americans–Civil rights

o    Public schools

o    School children

o    School integration

o    Segregation in education

o    Civil Rights Act of 1964

o    Virginia. General Assembly

o    Virginia. Pupil Placement Board

Types o    Correspondence

o    Legal documents

o    Pamphlets