Sunday, February 13, 2011

Check out this 2011 Civil Rights issue:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/41080097

17 comments:

Bkraussel said...

Wow! This story is truely intriguing. It's cool to see a modern day civil rights issue. Only time will tell what will actually come of this case being brought up. I don't understand why North Carolina's biggest school district would cut this program. We will see what comes of all this.

sscheidt said...

This is definitely an interesting and current civil rights issue. The NAACP is actively fighting this decision, and they have said that removing the busing for diversity is an act of de facto segregation reminiscent of the Jim Crow laws. I personally don't believe that this issue is quite as severe, but the NAACP is protecting the busing for diversity as one of their greatest successes to date. This also provides a great example of peaceful protest because there was a large march against the decision in Raleigh in July of 2010. It will be interesting to see the result of this modern struggle for civil rights.

AHanna said...

This story is especially interesting after having read about busing in the civil rights chapter of our textbook. To voice my opinion on this issue, I don't see why the Secretary of Education should take such interest in this one district's decision. It's 2011. Is "busing for diversity" really going to bring about some large social change now? Yes, racism exists and such but there's no large call for desegregation anymore. The number of white and black students in schools is heavily due to residency trends. I don't see the purpose of a busing for diversity program in this era, and the Secretary of Education should not be condemning this school board for its decision.

CAbbey said...

I think there must have been a reason for the school board to stop busing in kids. Maybe they are trying to cut wasteful spending, which I would be in support of. Or maybe there were issues with violence or lack of interest in the program. I don't know, I guess I'm indifferent on it.

Nklinka said...

I guess I personally struggle to believe that ending of this busing program is truly a Civil Rights issue. For this program to be ended, there must be a legitimate reason. Additionally, it is simply an extra expenditure when you can just do busing by neighborhood as in any other location. With the current state of educational expenditures, I see know reason why every effort should not be made to save money. This program does not in any way limit the access of any institution for a minority, simply deciding who goes where based on where they lived. Yes de facto segregation could be argued, but frankly at this point in time, if somebody honestly thinks two schools in the same district offer such drastically different levels of education, that person can either get open enrollment or move. This decision is a non event in my opinion, simply doing what is right for the betterment of the educational system.

moconnor said...

It's interesting to read about a current Civil Rights issue after just learning about Civil Rights in class. However, it is hard to believe that the school board of Raleigh, N.C. ended its busing for diversity program for any reason but to save money. I could see that racism could be a factor in this case if this was an earlier time, not saying that racism doesn't exist today, but for such a large school district to end a busing for diversity program to promote segregation in today's era I do not see happening. Then again, not much seems to be know about this case and I guess we will have to wait and see what happens in the next couple of weeks.

writer said...

Honestly, I don't see this issue as having the impact of other civil rights issues in our country's past. To me, the whole thing seems illogical. Why bus people further from home if all public schools in the area should be equal anyways? The closer school is to home, the more convenient it is for parents to get to and attend events. Economically, it also makes sense to disband the program; why waste gas driving excessive distances? This isn't an issue of students not being allowed to enroll in a school. They're free to attend any school. But I don't see why that choice should be at the expense of the taxpayers who then have to pay for busing. This "issue" just seems like a non-issue that people will blow out of proportion just to have something "controversial" to report on the news.

jwaltz said...

How convenient...

Secretary Arne Duncan's comment is interesting. I'd like to know the reasoning behind why the diversity program has been put to an end because I don't understand why North Carolina would cut this program from their largest school district. It's encouraging to see the community and the NAACP fight for the decision. From what we have learned in class, it will be interesting to see the outcome in North Carolina.

bradysims said...

This is very interesting. I always just think about the 1960's when i hear about civil rights issues. but here it is coming up againg in 2011! im interested to see how the outcome to this busing situation ends up. We should talk about this in class more this week.

JScott said...

I really find it difficult to form a solid opinion on this issue. My immediate reaction was "this is bad, they sould continue busing". But unfortunetly there is not really a "right" or "wrong" choice here. Both options have reason behind them. My aunt is a teacher in N.C. and she could tell you very easily that de facto segregation seems to be the natural order of people, espeically in schools, in N.C. Even the protesters were segregated! Her old teaching job in Raleigh was acutally literally to keep the black kids away from the white kids. It seems that without programs like bussing N.C. could very easily become a very segregated state. On the other hand however, there must be some benifits to the school for ending the program. Possibly with money or organization. The school said that if they concentrate the poor kids in selective areas then maybe people will start to pay attention to thoes areas. That way of thinking disgusts me. That's like saying they should store away the poor kids until they can figure out a way to help them. However, some of the better school are actually in the poorer areas. People should think about instead of moving kids to better schools, make the bad schools better. However, things like that take time, and ending the busing program won't help in the meantime. It seemed that some of the people who were against the busing program think that being a "bad student" is some contagious disease. I think while typing this i've convinced myself that ending the bussing program is a bad idea. Finally, i found it hard to read some people's comments because people seem to think that racism has just vanished from the world. ive been to N.C. many times because i have a lot of family down there, and i can tell you that in no way, shape, or form can you compare muskego to Raleigh. the mindset is completly different. We dont really have a chance to be rasist here because there are so few black students. (Although someone i see kids manage...). This issue needs to be decided by people with worldly experience on both sides. No amount of research will come up with the answer.

twerner said...

I don't think I've heard of a recent Civil Rights issue like this. I don't quite understand how this is a Civil Rights issue... I also think that more information has to be given about why the school district in North Carolina has decided to end their busing for diversity program before people start take sides on whether or not they are for or against the decision.

Unknown said...

I have noticed that many people have commented in response to the article saying that the school probably stopped the program to cut back on "wasteful spending." I have to disagree. What could be wasteful about fostering diversity and advocating racial tolerance among our youth? I agree that this program should not be ended, and that other districts should continue their programs. Although busing for diversity may be a costly expense for school districts, it is equally as beneficial to creating a positive learning environment as any other expense the schools deem necessary.

cziolkowski said...

This is a very interesting decision that the school district made in North Carolina. For the most part anytime somthing is cut from a school system, it is because the money put into it is not worth the outcome or it cost to much for a outcome. But with this case I think there is another reason for their actions but I am not really sure what it is exactly. I will be looking forward to see what the outcome of this case will be and if it will have an impact on the rest of the country.

Rjohnson-evers said...

Students should have the right to attend whatever public school that they choose. However, it not logical to expect a school district to bus children that are outside the normal range of school. The kids shouldn't be stopped from attending school but it is within the district's power to choose not to bus them. If the students feel that one school is much better than another, then they can find some way to attend it if it is that important.

Anonymous said...

I researched this issue more and found a Los Angeles Times article on this issue. It stated the fact that "even with busing, 85% of district students attend schools within five miles of their homes." If this is the case, then why are so many people up in arms over this? I agree with Hanna's point in that the separation of whites and blacks in schools is mostly due to residency trends. The Wake County school district isn't mandating that blacks live in different areas than whites and vice versa. If attending a public school with a better quality of education ten minutes out of a busing zone is that important, than finding a way to get there shouldn’t be a problem.

SMiller said...

I find this issue refreshingly interesting, seeing that our society seems have been so keenly focused upon only one issue in the area of civil rights over the past decade - affirmative action. I personally feel it is a bit unnecessary for "busing for diversity" plans to be mandatorily implemented, especially in these difficult economic times. If programs of this nature put any sort of undue economic or societal burden upon the families they are affecting or the school district at large, I feel they should be removed. If schools are now equal in each part of a town, it seems thoroughly unnecessary to counter socioeconomic housing trends with busing programs that push for diversity. I feel equality of opportunity is supremely sufficient in this case of civil rights.

moconnor said...
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