USDC, Eastern District of Virginia, Richmond Division, Civil Action Case #4267- Jonathan W. Brown, et al vs. the County School Board of Middlesex County, Virginia, et al
| Creator | USDC, Eastern District of Virginia, Richmond Division |
| Description | After just over a year in court, on June 10, 1966, the Court accepted the School Board of Middlesex County’s plan for the desegregation of their public schools. The cornerstone of the strategy was an annual “freedom-of-choice” offered to all grades, beginning in the 1966-67 school year. The choice, as outlined in the defendant’s supplemental report, was granted to parents and guardians, not the children directly. Furthermore, teachers, principals, or any other school staff member were barred from providing advice, recommendations, or otherwise influencing the choices of students. Their choices were not to be favored or penalized in any way either. Each parent is, the record states, supposed to receive an annual letter from their pupil’s school with a form attached so that they may read the provisions of the plan in question and submit their choice for their child’s ” schooling. There are similar procedures outlined for children enrolling into the district for the first time and/or transferring from other schools. The only reason that the parents” choice of school may be denied is for overcrowding, no other factors including prior attendance at the chosen school may be taken into account. Additionally, transportation was to be provided for all students without regard to race. Staff will be assigned from this point forward without consideration of their race or the race of their students. There is however some degree of uncertainty regarding the reappointment of already hired personnel to new schools without regard to the race of their new students. Published reports of this plan were to be made public to the general population at large. |
| Call number | Civil Action Case #4267 |
| Date from | 1965 |
| Date to | 1973 |
| Geographic school | Middlesex 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 |
| Types | o Correspondence
o Legal documents o Organizational Records o Pamphlets |