As a result, the upcoming major redistricting likely will be tumultuous. Hughes doesn't expect to be a player in redistricting discussions, but he said the focus needs to be on opportunities that will be available to children when they walk in the school door. The bus route, expected to run 75 minutes, ran only 40 minutes. Even if promises are made that segregated facilities and educational opportunities would be equal, Hughes suspects those promises would be short-lived. Hughes said children must learn to get along with and interact with people of different races and cultures.
Youngsters have to be prepared for that.
The regret If Hughes could go back in time, he would make it a priority to document the discrimination that existed in the school system. That was a mistake. There would be no doubt about whether the community needed desegregation and why. Dr. Robert Sweeney served as an appointed school board member from 1977 to 1981, then later on the elected board. He said desegregation went as smoothly as could be hoped for and probably has benefited the community.