Arkansas district’s superintendent tells federal court state, federal mandates make court desegregation monitoring unnecessary
The Associated Press, reporting on North Little Rock School District’s (NLRSD) legal efforts to be declared unitary, i.e. officially desegregated, said that Superintendent Ken Kirspel testified that state mandates and the federal No Child Left Behind Act’s requirements duplicate much of the district's desegregation plan. Kirspel told the federal court that standardized testing and regular reports on student progress are covered by state and federal law, as well as the desegregation plan. He also pointed out that test scores by black and white students have risen in the past five years. Attorney John Walker, however, representing a group opposing NLRSD’s motion for unitary status, questioned why schools in poorer, predominantly black areas in North Little Rock have fewer students and shoddier facilities.
Source: Arkansas Business, 1/25/10, By Associated Press