In 1966, the United States sued Plaquemines Parish School Board seeking to desegregate its schools. By 1975, the Court found the schools had been properly integrated, but the case was never removed from the Court system. Thus, for nearly a half century the case remained open.
That ended today. Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon righted a historical wrong, freeing the local school district of federal oversight. For decades, the Parish was forced to yield to the demands of past Administrations, unnecessarily subjecting schools and students to probing federal oversight.
“No longer will the Plaquemines Parish School Board have to devote precious local resources over an integration issue that ended two generations ago,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “This is a prime example of neglect by past administrations, and we’re now getting America refocused on our bright future.”
“Louisiana got its act together decades ago, and it is past time to acknowledge how far we have come,” said Leo Terrell, Senior Counsel to the Civil Rights Division. “America is back, and this Department of Justice is making sure the Civil Rights Division is correcting wrongs from the past and working for all Americans.”