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W.R. Lynn ... Glum
school board president
leaves court hearing. |
Judge Orders Integration At Carrollton
By Mike Quinn
U.S. Dist. judge Sarah T. Hughes told the Carrollton
Independent schools Friday to Integrate their students.
Although she did not spell it out in her order, Judge Hughes
"suggested" that the one high school in Carrollton be integrated
by Feb 1, 1963, and the elementary schools by Sept 1963.
Judge Hughes, after hearing defense testimony from two school
board members and Supt. Newman Smith, gave the board until Jan
15, 1963, to submit a plan for integration to the court.
"I realize the seriousness of the problem and the need for
cooperation." Judge Hughes said, "But the law is very clear."
She then ruled that the defendants, by requiring plaintiffs to
attend "racially segregated" schools, "violate the rights of the
plaintiffs under the 14th Amendment."
She concluded: "It is therefore ordered that there be a speedy
termination of racial segregation in the Carrollton Independent
School district."
The dates for filing plans and for integration are no in the
order.
However, Judge Hughes told the defendants' attorney, Earl Luna,
that any plan the school board comes up with will have to be
approved by her. With this in mind, Judge Hughes
made the recommendations:
At present, Carrollton has about 5,000 white school children, It
also has 17 Negro high school students, who have to travel to
Denton and 80 in Bush Elementary School, an 8th grade School.
Including Negro an white Carrollton has one high school, two
junior highs and six elementary schools.
The suit was brought by the Negro group, with W. J. Durham as
attorney, because of the segregation and other circumstances,
including the fact that the 171 high-school-age negroes have to
travel 40 miles each day round trip to Denton.
Luna admitted to the allegations of the group about segregation
in Carrollton. Judge Hughes then allowed him to put witnesses on
the stand to present testimony which might deter the integration
order.
W. R. Lynn, board president, said Carrollton had been studying
desegregation for several years but under cross-examination by
Durham admitted that no plan now exists for desegregation.
Durham argued that the original U.S. Supreme Court ruling of
1954 ordering integration was eight years old and that was plenty
of time to work out a plan for integration.
Superintendent Smith asked for more time, pointing out that he
just recently took over his post and needed more time for
training teachers.
Durham asked each how much time was reasonable but there were no
definite answers.
The Dallas Morning News - December 15, 1962
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