A decades-old order to desegregate Garland ISD could soon be lifted.
U.S. Attorney Ryan Raybould, of the Dallas-based Northern District of Texas, filed a motion last month to lift a 1970 federal order put in place when Garland ISD was majority white and its schools were racially segregated. As reported by the Dallas Morning News, trustees could vote Jan. 20 to seek the end of federal court oversight.
In his motion, Raybould said there鈥檚 鈥渘o question Garland ISD has complied with the plan. He cites massive demographic changes in the district in the 55 years since the order was imposed. In 1970, most Garland ISD students were white while the district鈥檚 segregated George Washington Carver school was all Black. That school was closed.
Today, 55% of district students are Hispanic, 13% are white and 18% are Black.
鈥淕arland ISD eliminated its system of formal segregation many years ago, including by doing away with the former segregated Carver school, and the demographic composition of its schools today...indicates that there are also no remaining vestiges of any former discriminatory policies,鈥� he wrote.
Several years after the court order was in place, Garland鈥檚 NAACP took an active role in the plan and is listed as an intervenor in the case. 四虎影院 reached out to the organization but hasn鈥檛 heard back.
Raybould鈥檚 motion asks the court to declare 鈥渦nitary status,鈥� meaning it has 鈥渃omplied in good faith with segregation orders.鈥�
Activist Tony Torres served on the Multi-Ethnic Committee Garland ISD was required to form under the order and said it's time for it to be released.
鈥淭he district was dealing with obsolete data and issues pertaining to, well, another era,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he intent of the order had been met.鈥�
Longtime Garland resident Koni Kaiwi agreed ending the order is long overdue.
鈥淚 truly believe,鈥� she said, 鈥� this order needed to have been lifted 20 years ago. (It鈥檚) well, well past time. It is like super ripe.鈥�
The Garland ISD school board is set to vote Tuesday to seek an end to federal oversight and declare the district 鈥渦nitary.鈥�
In a statement, the district said regardless of the court鈥檚 decision, it will 鈥渃ontinue to work collaboratively with the NAACP and its community partners and remains committed to systems and practices grounded in its belief that all means all.鈥�
Bill Zeeble is 四虎影院鈥檚 education reporter. Got a tip? Email Bill at bzeeble@kera.org. You can follow him on X .
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