Newspaper Page Text
THURSDAY, DEC. 12, 1968
HEW Asks Desegregation Plans
From Local School Officials
The Butts County Board of
Education has had correspond
ence with the Office of Health,
Education and Welfare. Complete
copies of the letters from HEW
and the local board’s answers
will be found at the end of this
article.
The Board of Education has
been in close touch with other
situations over the state similar
to ours in Butts County. Their
decision now is to accept nothing
less than top quality education
for all Butts County children,
moving within a plan for elimi
nation of the dual school system
which is planned by Butts coun
tians and not by those unfamiliar
with our people and our needs.
One of the minor problems,
and yet major to alumni, to over
come in the elimination of the
dual system was the names of
schools. At the December meet
ing the Board of Education voted
to eliminate all present names
when the dual system is elimin
ated and instead to have a Butts
County High School, Butts Coun
ty Jr. High School, Butts County
Elementary School, and Butts
County Primary School. All four
of the present buildings will be
used although actual designation
of which school to which building
has not been made.
The proposed building program
will be on the site of the present
Jackson High School. This was
done because of more available
space for expansion. The present
Henderson location is sfnaller in
acreage and at the moment addi
tional acreage is not available.
The Board of Education has
directed the principals and ad
ministrative staff, who of neces
sity have to plan one to two years
ahead of the actual program in
progress, to proceed as if the dual
system will be eliminated by the
fall of 1970. This date of course
depends upon the building pro
gram and how fast plans can be
implemented to consolidate.
The Board of Education asks
the full cooperation of every citi
zen in the county, parents, stu
dents, taxpayers, businessmen, as
work is made toward the tran
sition. This is not easy for any
one, but understanding and co
operation will go a long way
toward an unbroken up-grading
of Butts County schools.
Department of Health, Education,
and Welfare
Washington, D. C. 20201
Office of the Secretary
August 12, 1968
Dear Superintendent:
Earlier this year, a copy of
the revised Policies on Element
ary and Secondary School Com
pliance with Title VI of the Civil
Rights Act of 1964 was mailed to
you. For your ready reference, I
am enclosing another copy. In
particular, I wish to call to your
attention Subpart C, pages 7-11,
for school systems eliminating
dual school structures under
plans negotiated pursuant to
Title VI of the Civil Rights Act
of 1964.
The Policies call for school
systems desegregating under vol
untary plans to complete the con
version from dual to unitary sys
tems not later than the start
of the 1969-70 school year. The
specific method your school sys
tem employs to meet the require
ments of the law is, of course, for
you to decide. The responsibility
of this Office is to see that the
nondiscrimination requirements
of Title VI are met. The Policies
describe the application of these
requirements for your guidance
and for that of our staff.
Since receiving the Policies,
you and your Board may have
discussed plans for your system
which will result in the elimina
tion of the dual school structure.
In the event that your system will
be fully desegregated in the
1968-69 school year, please be
kind enough to notify me of this
fact at your earliest convenience,
so that we may review the data
in your Title VI compliance re
ports, upon receipt this fall.
Should your plan call for eli
minating the dual structure in
your district at the opening of
the 1969-70 school year, you are
requested to submit a copy of the
desegration plan developed by
you and your Board in accord
ance with the Policies. This plan
should be submitted as soon as
possible but not later than Sep
tember 30, 1968. It should in
clude a description of the method
of assigning students and faculty
employed during the 1968-69
school year and should describe
in detail how your system will be
! organized as of opening of the
1969-70 school year (including
the anticipated number of Negro
and white teachers and pupils to
be assigned to each school), the
date by which the Policies call for
elimination of the dual school
system.
We look forward to hearing
from you at your earliest con
venience. If you have any ques
tions, please feel free to call Mr.
Elridge W. McMillan, Education
Branch Chief 404-526-3307.
Sincerely yours,
PAUL M. RILLING
Regional Civil Rights
Director
Office for Civil Rights
50 Seventh Street, NE.
Atlanta, Georgia 30323
September 27, 1968
Mr. Paul M. Rilling
Regional Civil Rights Director
Office of Civil Rights
50 Seventh Street N. E.
Atlanta, Georgia 30323
Dear Sir:
Below is the plan for Butts
County Board of Education to
eliminate the dual school system
in Butts County:
During the 1968-69 school
year, pupils in all grades, except
the eighth, were given Freedom
of Choice. All pupils in the eighth
grade were assigned to Jackson
High School.
Faculty employed for the 1968-
69 school year were hired to fill
vacancies regardless of race.
Negro faculty members teaching
eighth grade in the previously all
Negro school (Henderson High)
were transferred to Jackson High
School.
The Butts County Board of
Education is receiving $195,000.-
00 from the State School Building
Authority to construct additional
classrooms on the Jackson High
campus so additional consolida
tion of Henderson High with
Jackson High can be accom
plished.
Plans call for this construction
to be completed before the begin
ning of the 1970-71 school term.
Because of the need for addi
tional classrooms, the Board plans
to use the Freedom of Choice
plan during the 1969-70 school
year for all grades except the
ninth grade with all of the ninth
grade pupils in the county being
assigned to Jackson High School.
Every effort will be made to
fill vacancies in each faculty,
with teachers from the minority
race of that school.
We feel that this plan will al
low the Butts County Board of
Education to eliminate the dual
system in an orderly way.
Sincerely,
LEE ROY O’NEAL, Supt.
Butts County Schools
Department of Health, Education,
and Welfare
Regional Office
Region IV
50 Seventh Street, N. E.
Room 404
Atlanta, Georgia 30323
Office of the Regional Director
November 7, 1968
Mr. Lee Roy O’Neal
Superintendent
Butts County Schools
Jackson, Georgia 30233
Dear Mr. O’Neal:
This will acknowledge receipt
of your letter of September 27
which included your plan for the
elimination of the dual school
structure and racially identifiable
schools in your district.
The plan you have submitted
for abolishing the dual structure
does not appear to meet the re
quirements of Title VI because
there are no definite plans for
the desegregation of the element
ary level. Regarding the proposed
construction of additional class
rooms at the predominately
white high school by the 1970-71
school year, please provide us
with an adequate basis for the
district’s inability to complete
these classrooms by the 1969-70
school year.
May we therefore hear from
you as soon as possible, but in
no case later than 10 days of
the date of this letter, with de
tailed plans by which you pro
pose to reorganize your school
system so as to have eliminated
all vestiges of the dual structure
by Setpember, 1969, or at the
latest, September, 1970.
If we fail to receive your plan
within the prescribed period, we
are obligated, in accordance with
the procedures set forth in Sub
part D, Section 24 of the enclosed
JACKSON PROGRESS-ARGUS, JACKSON. GEORGIA
revised Policies for school compli
ance with Title VI of the Civil
Rights Act of 1964 to start ad
ministrative proceedings under
Section 602 of the Civil Rights
Act of 1964. If such proceedings
are initiated and if an order for
termination of your system’s
Federal financial assistance is is
sued, the order could take effect
no sooner than the day following
the close of the 1968-69 school
year. This procedure is discussed
in greater detail in the Depart
ment's letter, dated December 8,
1967, to the Chairman of the
Thinkofit
as your
MerryChristmascard.
And your thoughts will be merry
with ways to make lots of big and little people happy this Christmas.
You can get that doll Maggie wants. The train for Ned. The puppy for Todd.
Something for Mom and the Grandparents and
everyone else who makes Christmas special in your house.
Everything you've bought will be on one statement.
And you'll know exactly how much you've spent . . . and where.
Because BankAmericard is actually a system of personal money management.
And that's nice to have around.
Especially around Christmas.
BankAmericard. The credit card you won't go berserk with .
Mclntosh State Bank
BankAmericard
Each depositor insured to 915000
FDK
FEDERAL DEPOSIT INSURANCE CORPORATION
Senate Subcommittee on Educa
tion, a copy of which is also en
closed.
Sincerely yours,
DEWEY E. DODDS
Chief, Education Branch
Office for Civil Rights
November 15, 1968
Mr. Dewey E. Dodds
Chief, Education Branch
Office for Civil Rights
Atlanta, Georgia 30323
Dear Mr. Dodds:
Reterence to your letter of No
vember 7, 1968, the following is
an explanation of the plan to
eliminate the dual school struc
ture :
1. The proposed construction
of additional classrooms at Jack
son will be financed from the
$195,000.00 grant from the State
Building Authorty (school)
which will be available in 1969.
AUTHORIZED SIGNATURE
We have employed an Architect
who will complete final plans and
specifications in 120 days. The
anticipated time of construction
is 360 days which means the
earliest possible completion date
will be March 1970.
2. The desegregation of ele
mentary level cannot be accom
plished until the completion of
the construction of the High
School classrooms. The detailed
plans of reorganization will be
delayed until anew Superintend
ent takes office January 1, 1969.
Sincerely yours,
LEE ROY O’NEAL, Supt.
Butts County Schools
PERSONAL
Mrs. George Hardy and son,
Georgie Jr., of Warner Robins,
were visitors to Jackson on Fri
day.
SERVICE
T bank y\
MISS WASHINGTON WILL
ATTEND MEDICAL MEETING
Miss Angelyn Washington of
Sylvan Grove Hospital, Jackson,
will be among medical librarians
from throughout the State at
tending an Institute for Hospital
Librarians sponsored by the Geor
gia Regional Medical Program
(the heart, cancer, stroke pro
gram) on December 12 and 13
at the Cabana Motor Hotel in
Atlanta.
Subject of the Institute will be
the expanded interlibrary loan
and photocopying services of the
Emory University A. W. Calhoun
Medical Library and the Medical
College of Georgia Library which
are designed to provide more ade
quate support of medical educa
tion, medical research and med
ical practice in Georgia.