Neb. seeks dismissal of NAACP lawsuit

[deadparrot]

OMAHA, Neb. - State officials on Friday sought the dismissal of an NAACP lawsuit challenging a Nebraska law that it says amounts to state-supported segregation in public schools.

A brief filed in U.S. District Court by Attorney General Jon Bruning names six provisions of the new law designed to "accomplish integration and improve the quality of education for all students in the Omaha area."

The law, which doesn't go into effect until 2008, forces all 11 districts in Douglas and Sarpy counties to share resources as a "learning community." It also splits the Omaha district into three — one mostly black, one largely Hispanic and one predominantly white.

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and Omaha school officials say the new law is short on funding and does too little to promote integration.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060819/ap_on_re_us/omaha_schools

[acmavm]

1. The whole situation is a mess. But it was a mess before the law was

enacted. The black community was totally frozen out of any decision making in regard to school policy or how money was allocated and spent. So Ernie Chambers did the only thing he could do and that was to demand the breakup of the district into three distinct parts.

Now the NAACP is mad and wants to undo the everything. I can understand why, there is NO REASON that there should be three different entities in one city. But how to fix it?

Nebraska is still a good old boy, WASPish, anti-civil/equal rights state. The tradition is that you don't talk back to your betters (which is generally a wealthy white man), you don't question authority, and you don't get too big for your britches. It has operated on the proposition that life is supposed to be tough so quit your bitching. Even if it is a little tougher for some that it is for others.

This looks to be a squabble that could go on for a while.

[toopers]

2. This sounds like a perfect situation for school vouchers . . .

then the students wouldn't be stuck with just one choice of schools!