Federal judge orders Chicago schools to integrate

A federal judge has ruled that the Chicago Board of Education must find seats in substantially white schools for black and Latino students by mid-December. U.S. District Judge Charles Kocoras ruled that the white students who transferred into the already substantially white schools from outside their neighborhoods might have to leave to make room for black and Latino students. He also ruled the school district must reallocate some funds used on desegregation for use on students in racially isolated schools. Kocoras' ruling Tuesday was in response to U.S. Justice Department claims that the nation's third-largest school district violated the latest version of its desegregation agreement by not offering any racial transfers this year to improve integration. Chicago school officials claimed the district was doing all it could to promote integration but had no room to accommodate more minority students in the white schools. "It's hard to believe there are no open seats," Kocoras said as he ordered school officials to take another look at capacity reports. He also ordered the officials to identify children offered transfers under other programs who did not show up at the primarily white schools, opening more seats. "We'll do what's legal, practical and educationally the right thing for children," said schools chief Arne Duncan. "We're happy to take a fresh look." For the past 24 years, the public school system has had a voluntary agreement with the federal government to integrate its schools. But last year Kocoras called the 1980 agreement "outdated." When the original agreement was struck, the district was 19 percent white, but that number has since dwindled to 9.2 percent. [more]