WKRN, Nashville, Tennessee News, Weather, and Sports |Arguments begin in Nashville school rezoning case
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NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Arguments began in federal court in Nashville Tuesday in regards to a lawsuit filed against Metro schools claiming their rezoning plan, which went into effect at the beginning of the school year, re-segregates the school system.
Frances and Jeffrey Spurlock filed the lawsuit, which asks the court to order Metro to halt the rezoning plan, in August.
The rezoning plan forced their daughter, a student in previous years at Bellevue Middle School, to attend one of two Metro schools failing under No Child Left Behind, according to Frances Spurlock, John Early Middle School or HG Hill Middle School.
The Spurlocks' daughter began the school year in August at John Early.
The couple came forward after learning three weeks into the school year she had yet to receive her textbooks while students her grade level in other Metro schools, such as Bellevue, had.
The rezoning plan moves some inner city students back to schools in their neighborhoods and out of schools in suburban areas, and some families, like the Spurlocks, say it puts their children at an educational disadvantage.
Frances Spurlock said, "As it's been for years and years, the black schools are not going to have the resources that the white schools have. It's that way and I hate that it's that way, but it is that way."
The central issue is whether the intent of the school board was to re-segregate the schools, and whether that was the result.
Former school board member George Thompson, one of four votes against the change, was called to the stand Tuesday afternoon.
Thompson said, "Here we are, stacking blacks on top of blacks and creating more racial isolation."
Attorneys for the school system say the rezoning plan is meant to give at-risk kids the ability to succeed while attending schools closer to home and to increase parental involvement.
In addition, the school district says the plan relieves overcrowding by making better use of partially empty school buildings.
Metro attorney Kevin Klein said, "We feel good about our case and we have confidence in the system."
Other school board members are expected to testify, as defendants in the lawsuit.
With more than two dozen witnesses left to take the stand, the hearing may last into next week.
The judge will decide at a later date whether to stop the rezoning plan.
A judge has already ordered that the Spurlocks' daughter be allowed to return to Bellevue Middle School temporarily.
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