On the east side of the city schools attended by blacks and west (left), by whites
Schools in studying only white and others in studying only black seems history of the last century, but this is what is living a small town in the southern United States.
Cleveland, in the state of Mississippi, has about 12,000 inhabitants and for decades its school system consists of a couple of schools for whites and another for black students students.
There is a local law prohibiting students of any race to attend school who want - as occurred in the days of segregation of past centuries - but still, white and black attend different schools.
But this may be about to change: the Justice Department of the United States reported on Nov. 16 that the School District of Cleveland should merge their student communities.
The fact is already generating controversy because the city school board opposes the court ruling, and the local population seems divided between those who want things to change and those who prefer to stay as they are.
The director board of the School District Cleveland "is seriously considering an appeal," said Jamie Jacks, lawyer's governing body the BBC World. "The school district of Cleveland firmly believes that the judge's decision and the comments of others (people) mistakenly portrayed our district as segregated, which is misleading and incorrect."
What about the city?
In Cleveland, only 20% of the population has university studies, while the national average is 40%. The average income of each household in the city is $ 34,000 per year (against $ 51,000 of the country's average).
Racially, the local population is divided almost in half, with 50.2% of its inhabitants being defined as black and 47.5% as white.
For decades, a railroad went through Cleveland dividing the community also geographically: East side lived the black and the west side families, white. Over the years, school districts have just following these dividing lines. Schools received white students on one side of the city, and black on the other.
In the 1950s, the Brown vs. School Board case was a watershed in Cleveland. His result was that the Supreme Court of the United States eliminated the separation of students by race.
The ordering Court
But although the resolution has been six decades ago, things remained the same in Cleveland, even if there is no more legal discrimination.
To end this, on May 13 the District Court of Northern Mississippi ordered the School District of Cleveland to put in place a plan to integrate both student communities.
Secondary school D.M. Smith Middle School - attended by the black community - should merge with the Margaret Green Junior High School - frequented by whites - according to the court.
Lawyer ensures that no school in the city there is a predominance of white students
The same should occur with the prep school East Side High School (predominantly black) and the Cleveland High School (which is frequented by most of the white city, but not only for them). This should happen no later than the 2017-2018 cycle.
"The delay in the elimination of segregation has deprived generations of students the right guaranteed by the constitution of an integrated education," said the judge in the case, Debra M. Brown.
The local education authorities were also required to revise their study programs and offer new plans to the community after the merger. "This decision serves as a reminder that the delay districts (school) in its obligations against segregation is unacceptable and unconstitutional," said Vanita Gupta, head of the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice.
remain the same
But among the people of Cleveland, many see things differently. The lawyer School District emphasized that the district does not deny enrollment to any student in any of the schools and therefore considers unfounded the argument of segregation. "None of the two secondary schools in the district, or the two preparatory have majority white enrollments," said Jacks.
While still ongoing appeal, the current registration system will remain in its same terms, said the School District in a statement. Among the community, some also claim that things should remain as worked so far, believing that it is a case of racism.
"They should focus on the school level in place of the merger. I am more concerned about the education of my children than who sits beside them or which school to attend," said Ruth Weldon Sims, a local resident, in a discussion on Facebook.
Others complained that the schools are operating at maximum capacity and, therefore, the merger would not be feasible. "Classrooms in Cleveland High School are very large for a teacher to control," said Caitlyn Marie Watson.
On this point, the judgment of the District Court ruled that the school worked in "bad conditions" and should make reforms.
"It was the federal government that school populations are the result of the choice of people to the areas where they live? Go compel students to attend schools far from their homes?" He asked Chris Turffit on social networks.
The court's decision says that school programs have failed to integrate the whole community
'Learning to live together'
About 180 km south of Cleveland is the Clinton County, which since 2013 goes through a similar school integration process. Students move from one school to another between the first and ninth grades, which allowed integrate the communities three years ago.
In Cleveland, some believe that schools with black students have deficiencies in their facilities and programs of study in relation to those attended by white students, and ask for changes.
"Parents of all races testified that want their children to learn in a diverse environment that prepares them to face the world today," said the Justice Department on the sentence.
The Rev. Edward Duvall said the ruling may help bring down the "racist wall" that divides the population. "We can create a new culture in our school system that will unite and join in the whole city," Duvall said.
On Facebook, Cina Luke wrote: "Awaken We are in 2016 and your children will live somewhere outside of Cleveland, must learn to live with people who do not think like them."
Since April Lawrence said that "there is no reason why there are two secondary schools in a small town like Cleveland."
But while the school board appeals the sentence, the students will continue to see the same colleagues.
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