Boston Public Schools

The Boston Public School system dates from 1647 and is the oldest public school system in the U.S.; in 1798 the School Committee (formed 1710) denied a group of black parents their request to establish separate schools for their children due to the unequal treatment they received; in 1812 the School Committee voted to support separate schools for blacks and by a830 a completely separate educational system was functioning. In 1850 the doctrine of separate but equal facilities for different races was established in the Roberts vs. the City of Boston case; after 1954 Brown vs. Board of Education ruling deemed "separate byt equal" unconstitutional but segregated school facilities still existed in Boston.

In 1972 black parents filed suit against the School Committee for deliberately maintaining a segregated school system and in 1974 Judge W. Arthur Garrity in the Federal District Court of Boston, in Tallulah Morgan vs. James Hennigan, ruling in favor of the plaintiffs, ordered the School Committee to eleminate the segregated school system it had maintained, by achieving racial equality through court-ordered busing (which resulted in rioting and racial turmoil). In addition to being the longest case of court involvement (with over 415 orders issued), it was the first case to involve a state leval department of education in monitoring compliance. Also it was the first time a parent/citizen group was given the authority to monitor and never before had quality of education been combined as an objective with desegregating a school system.

From the description of Boston Public Schools desegregation-era records collection, 1952-1996 (bulk 1976-1985). (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 70976839

The Boston Public School system dates from 1647 and is the oldest public school system in the U.S.; in 1798 the School Committee (formed 1710) denied a group of black parents their request to establish separate schools for their children due to the unequal treatment they received; in 1812 the School Committee voted to support separate schools for blacks and by a830 a completely separate educational system was functioning. In 1850 the doctrine of separate but equal facilities for different races was established in the Roberts vs. the City of Boston case; after 1954 Brown vs. Board of Education ruling deemed "separate byt equal" unconstitutional but segregated school facilities still existed in Boston.

In 1972 black parents filed suit against the School Committee for deliberately maintaining a segregated school system and in 1974 Judge W. Arthur Garrity in the Federal District Court of Boston, in Tallulah Morgan vs. James Hennigan, ruling in favor of the plaintiffs, ordered the School Committee to eleminate the segregated school system it had maintained, by achieving racial equality through court-ordered busing (which resulted in rioting and racial turmoil). In addition to being the longest case of court involvement (with over 415 orders issued), it was the first case to involve a state leval department of education in monitoring compliance. Also it was the first time a parent/citizen group was given the authority to monitor and never before had quality of education been combined as an objective with desegregating a school system.

From the description of Boston Public Schools desegregation-era records collection, 1952-1996 (bulk 1976-1985). (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 79371902