According to a recent court filing, there's still no agreement on how to implement a federal judge's plan to desegregate the Cleveland School District. As MPB's Mark Rigsby reports, it's the latest development in the 50-year old court case.
According to a report filed by the U.S. Justice Department, parties in the Cleveland school desegregation case are unable to reach a settlement. The Feds say U.S. District Judge Debra Brown's May 13th order to consolidate the district's high schools and middle schools is the way to go.
The Cleveland School District is appealing the judge's plan. In an earlier interview, Board Attorney Jamie Jacks said the district prefers a previous judge's ruling in the case that gives all parents freedom to choose what school their children attend.
"The district's position is, if you have a true freedom of choice for every student in the district, which we believe we absolutely do in Cleveland, then that's a constitutional plan as well. Deference should be given to the district to the type of plan it believes will work best for it in its school district."
The school district's new proposal under Judge Brown's order splits grades between Cleveland High and East Side High under a unified name. The Justice Department call the district's idea "less educationally sound" than the judge's plan. The report also refers to the plaintiffs offering a compromise proposal that has promise, but does not provide details.
