Already, the court case is turning national attention back to Charlotte. The city earned a place in history in the 1970s, and a reputation as a moderate Southern city willing to embrace diverse schools while other communities could not. With Charlotte's famous court case, Swann vs. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education, the U.S. Supreme Court opened the door for busing nationwide. If Charlotte's historic desegregation order is lifted and busing ends, some say it could signal the end of a lengthy chapter in American education. It's intensely personal.
School assignments dictate carpool schedules and morning routines.
It determines who children go to class with. Joe Mann, the former Myers Park student, is proud of what Charlotte accomplished. But he's one of the many parents who say children should be returned to their neighborhoods. Parent Ellen Martin wants more schools built in high-growth neighborhoods, even if those areas are predominantly white. The school board has been criticized for building some schools in less-populated areas midway between black and white neighborhoods.