THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT 

                         THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
                 Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, June 19, 1994                    TAG: 9406170197 
SECTION: PORTSMOUTH CURRENTS                     PAGE: 07    EDITION: FINAL  
SOURCE: Medium 
DATELINE: 940619                                 LENGTH:

DON'T RESEGREGATE ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS

{LEAD} The Portsmouth Branch NAACP, the Virginia State Conference NAACP, Central Civic Forum, Cavalier Manor Civic League, Brighton-Prentis Park Civic League and other local community leaders and organizations oppose the Proposed Community Schools Plan that will resegregate the elementary schools of Portsmouth.

We believe that the proposed plan is in direct opposition to the anti-racial segregation resolution that was passed March 19 by a 5-4 School Board vote. The School Board's effort to rezone the elementary schools is clearly in violation of the spirit and purpose of the anti-segregation resolution.

{REST} The resolution specifically states that, ``the School Board of the City of Portsmouth, Va., views any attempt to return to segregated schools be it via anti-busing strategies, neighborhood school plans or administrative selective choice proposals, as an attempt to produce a school system which perpetuates racial segregation.'' The resolution also requires the full integration of the city and binds the School Board to the full funding of school integration and equity busing.

The proposed redistricting/rezoning plan would resegregate more African-American students into overwhelmingly predominant African-American schools and would further reduce the number of Caucasian and other non-African and European-American students by drastic proportions without a justifiable reason.

Seven of the schools would be more than 90 percent African-American and three of the proposed schools would be less than 25 percent Caucasian. The current plan has only one school that exceeds 90 percent African-American population.

The proposed plan is insensitive to the needs of all children in Portsmouth and totally void of any conscious attempt to correct the ongoing injustice in the public school system.

It is the responsibility of the School Board to monitor and assure the citizens of Portsmouth that the elementary schools will not be resegregated.

Helen Edge

NAACP, Portsmouth Branch

June 10, 1994

by CNB