Abstract
In many school districts throughout the nation, "white flight" has caused urban centers to have disproportionately high percentages of minority residents. One way school officials have attempted to battle the growing problem of resegregation is the use of race-conscious student assignment plans designed to create a diverse student body. In Parents Involved in Community Schools v. Seattle School District No. 1, the Supreme Court was asked to decide whether school districts were permitted to classify students based upon race in order to achieve diversity. The Court struck down the race-conscious assignment plans of two districts, prompting questions as to whether race can ever be used to foster diversity in public schools.
Educators across the nation now have to reevaluate any race-conscious student assignment plans that they have in place. This Casenote aims to offer some guidance on the practical implications this decision has for public schools and offer some suggestions as to how school districts can still effectively combat resegregation. School officials would be well advised to use socioeconomic classifications or to incorporate both race and socioeconomic status into a broader definition of diversity, rather than using race classifications alone. These approaches allow school districts to fight resegregation and have their student assignment plans upheld when faced with equal protection challenges.
Recommended Citation
Rowan E. Themer,
New Limits on the Use of Race in Public School Student Assignment Plans: Implications of the Supreme Court's Decision in Parents Involved in Community Schools v. Seattle School District No. 1, 127 S. Ct. 2738 (2007),
33
S. Ill. U. L.J.
279
(2009).
Available at:
https://opensiuc.lib.siu.edu/siulj/vol33/iss2/5