By the end of this month, Augusta attorney Ben Allen says, he'll start visiting Richmond County schools as part of efforts to resolve a federal desegregation order the school system has operated under since 1964.
"I want to visit every school over this year. That's my goal," said Allen, the lawyer representing the original plaintiff. "If I get a chance to talk to someone, I'll talk to someone. It's really just (getting) a general overview of the school."
In December, the desegregation order came up in a county school board retreat, where board members were told a settlement might be reached in the next year.
Allen told the board he planned to work with board attorney Pete Fletcher and other school officials to address any lingering issues.
Officials have said several steps, including infrastructure improvements, have been taken to address the order in Richmond County. But the board has agreed that more work is needed, with some saying certain schools are still referred to as white or black schools.
"You really want to get to the place that it's not referred to as a black or white school, and maybe we can't get out of that," Allen said this week.
He said he has been researching to see how other areas have settled desegregation orders, and he's in the process of having an expert come in to address Richmond County's situation.
"Hopefully, once we get the education expert in place and the visits completed, we'll be at a point where we can talk about some resolution," he said. "I don't think we can say specifically when it will be completed, but we're hoping we can move and know exactly where we are by the end of this year."
SELMA, Ala. --- Education Secretary Arne Duncan said Monday the federal government will become more vigilant to make sure students have equal access and opportunity to everything ranging from college prep classes to science and engineering programs.
"We are going to reinvigorate civil rights enforcement," Duncan said.
He said the department also will issue a series of guidelines to public schools and colleges addressing fairness and equity issues.
"The truth is that, in the last decade, the office for civil rights has not been as vigilant as it should be. That is about to change," he said.
-- Associated Press
Idiots all. Allen is a jerk.An obama jerk.
Glad mine go to non government schools
Of course Allen wants to visit and talk to as many as he can...more time equals more money, right? I mean, we are talking about a lawyer! And what's with this "white school" and "black school" thing? It's the same as a "white neighborhood/black neighborhood" thing....the way we southerners regard something that has an overwhelmingly higher number of white or black inhabitants, then that's the way it's generally referred. So, if there's close to 75% of one race over another, then that's the way's it's referred. Nothing derogatory involved. Both races do it, and I think it's really done all over the country. One more thing, this better not lead to "bussing" like it did in the early 70's. I was bussed clear across town, when I could've easily walked to my neighborhood school. My parents couldn't afford to put me in a private school, but I sure can with my kids. But, really, I just can't see that happening again. Course, that's probably what my parents said at the time, huh?
Want to get away from "black or white schools"? What a stupid comment. Our entire government push is about segregation. Hyphenated Americans instead of Americans, black history month instead of history, traditionally black colleges, black caucus, affirmative action, ebonics, black studies in college, subsidy programs, NAACP, confederate flag issue, etc., etc. . For the past 45 years, nationalized segregation has been the order of the day.
The article failed to state who or what Ben Allen represents. Who is this guy? Why would or should any school employee want to talk to a lawyer who's says he's just "visiting"? Will the RCBOE be paying for his "education expert"?
Ben Allen is the lawyer hired to oversee the Federal desegregation order that was issued to RCBOE in the 1970's.
Augusta can't come out of the order because of Josey and Laney- their racial makeup does not reflect the population of RC or the RC school system. Or in other words, they are black schools.
I don't see what the problem is, considering that the school system is 73% black. It's an overwhelmingly black school system, so what's wrong with having black schools?
The whole purpose of the desegregation order was to provide equal opportunities in education to students regardless of color. It was to remove the disparties between black or white schools in terms of the quality: standards taught, teacher qualifications, funding etc. 30 years ago, it was thought that segregating students would even the playing field. I don't think the original order considered that some districts would have a shift in the minority majority. Or the impact of outside influences like the deteriation of family values and gang activities in some communities. Or the fact that so many students would shun the educational opportunities their parents and grandparents fought so hard for them to have. It doesn't take a law degree to walk around some of these schools and realize that many kids are there only for a lack of a more entertaining place to go and have absolutely no respect or desire to learn while there. Or that those same uninterested students are stealing time, attention and quality from those who want to be there.
It is a simple matter to resolve. Make all schools mirror images of each other, rules, policy, classes offered, equipment provided, teachers assigned, etc,etc,etc. That means if we have a spare million, don't spend it on one school. If we can't provide a program across the board, at every school, don't provide it to any. If we can't issue a policy that affects every school equally then don't set up the policy.
Allen was one of my class mates through school,he was a racist then and he still is.
What kind of money could the school system save by going back to neighborhood schools?
Ben Allen has been drawing a healthy stipend for thirty years as the “special master” appointed by the courts to monitor the school system's progress in complying with the court order. His stipend is, of course, paid from Richmond County school taxes. He is going through some motions here, but you can see from his words up above that he wants to draw this court order out as long as he can so that his stipend checks can keep coming in.
If Westside is white and Laney is black what is Mr. Allen going to do about it? What a waste of taxpayers money.
Nothing quite like paying a nut to flog a long dead horse. That's just exactly how we need to be spending our education money.
Justus, if you really wonder why there are thriving private schools, just look what has happened to public schools and education since 1970. Who'd want to send their kids there if they ever could do something else? We tried it with ours for three miserable years of disrupted classes sprinkled liberally with intimidation from arrogant, racist bullies. It was about like putting innocent, gentle kids into a war zone. Who wouldn't do just about anything to protect their child from that and ensure that they got an education?
And FYI, virtually all of these private schools offer very nice scholarships to students whose families can't afford the tuition, if the students are up to the academic demands and standards of behavior. Some of them actively recruit minority students specifically to offer opportunities to deserving students and to create an atmosphere of diversity and multiculturalism that better reflects our community's demographics. The intention is to build leadership, character and social skills that will help us live together in harmony.
I know that's not what you're hoping for, but it is for more of us than not.
You should look at these things before insinuating that racism is the reason private schools are thriving. It's academics and behavior of the students that are the reason they exist now, even if some started out as "white flight" schools.
Times have changed, even if you and Ben Allen haven't.
Well said fiat...the reasoning and attitude of the racist on this forum is just one of the reasons the Black race is self-imploding.
Glad you REALLY agreed with me. Betty. (You can edit off the extras postings by deleting everything and replacing it with a period (".") or .)
School that are considered ''bad schools'' have nothing to do with race. There is no such thing as race anyway. Ask the man who lives up above. Check out some of the local schools in Baltimore, Spanish Harlem, and West Virginia. They all have schools with diffrent skin tones who are failing. Quote on quote bad schools are usually only poor to working class. America's poor is middle class in alot of countries.
Idiots with Allen's mentality perpetuate racism--and he does appear to enjoy the fruits of that stipend check every month, so why not raise the dead horse and beat it to death again!
LOL..a little computer glitch this AM....did not even see the totum posts till now.......and thank you dearhunter for the (*puke*) compliment...have a blessed day now ya heah.... smile purty
Ben Allen doesn't have anything to do with the schools being segregated. The Federal government put RC under a court order- and the school system doesn't get to violate the court order.
RCBOE needs to go back to Federal court and show how dramatically different the school system is today versus the way it was in the 1970's. But they won't do that.
Do you ever wonder why?
There is a certain group of blacks who think it's important to keep "historically black" schools as black schools, because they scream "We are losing our culture! We are losing our tradition! We are losing our history!" if there are attempts made to balance them. And the school board listens to them.
You can't have it both ways. Until blacks unify and decide what they really want, this situation will continue.
40 years ago desegregation was long overdue and it had a purpose to provide equal opprotunity.
Here is my question: Why is anyone still beating this "dead horse"? If someone has the will they can do well in ANY school. Look at Colin Powell, Condalisa Rice, among many others.
Schools are labeled "black" and "white" beacuse the student body is predominately made up of whatever is the majority race in any given school zone.
Bussing children all over the county has never been the answer. In the '70s I was bussed to a school that was mostly black. All three classes of us(98% of us were white) were placed into new, separate classes and we were never introduced into the school population. Yes we even kept our old teachers, too.
A pending lawsuit with lots of money wasted will attempt to prove folks were cheated out of an education. However, good students will always do good, ones with no desire will not.
Good teachers often inspire. Hard work makes good schools. However, it's not all about the school or where it's located; many times what derails a student with desire is a poor family unit. It all starts at home.
Another fine example of how out-of-touch the federal government really is. More regulation and more oversight never seems to work.
justus - poor and low income have nothing to do with minorities in a Constitutional Republic like the United States. However, in your head and the heads of Notreally and others who continue to view race as the preeminent motive of every single item on every single subject occuring in the US today, that is an entirely different matter.
Busing didn't work & never will.. It only divides the rich kids from the poor..The richer will send their child to a private school & the public schools will have the poor from all races...Make schools as equal as possible.. let kids go to neighborhood schools (less money needed for busing) We will always have some folks with nicer homes, clothes,, cars, & will live in better neighborhoods.. Kids need to understand that at an early age...If you want nicer.. go to work & earn it & that will take an education sooo try to get it. BUT that doesn't mean the gov. has to make you that means YOU have to want it.
We don't need an "expert" to tell us why schools are the way they are....duh! Just another wicked waste of money. Some good old common sense would be nice. Political correctness is eroding our society.
If you guys think the assault and general ruining of public education was a real klunker of socially engineering, just wait to you get a load of what this latest stupidity from liberals, leftists and socialist dumocrats is going to do for us!
Nikita Khrushchev always told us we would be destroyed as a nation from within. And to further prove him prophetic, Obozo, Peloser and Dingy Harry and their toadies (ie, Rahmabomination) are just the latest bunch of the arrogantsi who think they are godlike and therefore destined by divine right to "do what's best" for us.
I wonder if this time around we Americans are up the challenge of actually dealing with these enemies of the American dream and destroyers of our Constitution, a document that has been the model for every democracy founded since it was written.
What ignorance! Earlier this week, there was an article stating that the population of Richmond County Schools is 72% African-American...that means they are ALL "black" schools. I have children in one of the "white" schools, and it's not "white" either. If we don't get our crime and violence under control, the CSRA will be made up of "black" and "white" COUNTIES. When will we stop being babies and stop crying about everything?!??! Lets all live like decent human beings and treat each other with respect where race doesn't have anything to do with anything!
Ben Allen stood by Charles Walker's side through all his trials and tribulations as friend and lawyer, but couldn't keep him from going to jail. I suppose justus4 is still quite miffed about that.
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