U.S. District Court Judge's Order Denying Complaint that State's Authorization of Little Rock-Area Charter Schools Violates 1989 Desegregation Agreement

This judge's order from the U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Arkansas, Western Division, denies a complaint from the Little Rock School District (LRSD), among others, that the state’s authorization of charter schools violates a 1989 desegregation settlement involving LRSD and surrounding Pulaski County school districts.

The 30-page order includes discussion of whether charter schools should come under the 1989 agreement when they weren't allowed in the state until 1999, whether the charter schools amount to a “splinter district”, and jurisdiction for oversight of desegregation. Also included is an assessment of the impact of student transfers.

Additional filings in the case cover the positions of key parties in the dispute and key issues, including school funding; transportation; charter school development; methods of desegregation; the influence of poverty; and the roles and interactions of the courts, legislature, and public school agencies.