Garland ISD has agreed with a federal motion to release the district from a decades-old desegregation order.
Trustees voted 6-0 Tuesday night to seek unitary status, meaning it has met federal equity requirements.
Last month, U.S. Attorney Ryan Raybould filed a motion to end the desegregation order put in place in1970, when the majority white district had racially segregated schools.
On Tuesday, Superintendent Ricardo Lopez said the district has since worked to serve all students across race, neighborhood and language, and that won’t change.
“We understand our history, we respect our partners, and we remain accountable to our future," he said.
He thanked Ricky McNeal, president of the Garland NAACP, for “his leadership, his partnership, and his continued advocacy on behalf of students and families in our community.” Lopez said the relationship between the district and the NAACP was rooted in “a shared belief that equity and opportunity must be lived values, not just written commitments.”
As part of the federal order, Garland ISD was required to form a Multi-Ethnic Committee. A district spokesperson told KERA no decision has been made about the committee’s future once the order is lifted.
Bill Zeeble is KERA’s education reporter. Got a tip? Email Bill at bzeeble@kera.org. You can follow him on X @bzeeble.
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