Evening star., 1950-06-02

The tert OF the United States
Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals
i, opinion which found Arlington
guilty of discrimination against
Negroes in public schools, fol-
lotDs:
This case again brings to our at
tention the right Of Negro student!
In State schools to the same or sub
stantially equivalent privileges of ed
ucation as white students. The diff
ficulties inherent in the practice o
segregation are again emphasized
The schools in question are higt
schools located in Arlington County
Va, where the Negroes Of schoo
age constitute only small percent
Age Of the school population, so tina
the expense involved in affording Il
the small minority in a separate
school every course of study anc
every kind of equipment and recrea
tional facility that are given thu
majority is proportionately yer!
great.
Washington-Lee High School fol
white students is predominately
senior high school with a total O
2377 students of which 1881 are II
the senior and 496 i'll the junior
high school.
Hoffman Boston High School fol
Negro students is predominately al
elementary junior high school with
48 senior high school pupils, 13 boy
and IS girls, and a total enrolment
Of 27O. In 1916 -1947 and in 1947-194s
high school students numbered l:
and 18 respectively Of which only
were boys.
Burden on Authorities.
The burden upon the county au.
thorities became more onerous when
in recent years the schools in tine
District of Columbia imposed q
tuition fee upon students from Ar
lington County and discontinued the
practice of admitting Negro high
school students from the county free
Of charge.
Negro students who desired to at
tend the Washington schools to OBJ
tain courses and facilities available
to whites but not to Negroes in
Arlington County applied to the
Arlington County School Board to
pay their tuition, and this was done
during the 1946-1947 and 1947-194a
sessions.
In 1948-1949, however, payment OF
tuition was refused to all Negro stu
dents except those who had COM
pleted three years of work in District
Of Columbia schools.
Instituted by Student.
These circumstances led to the
present suit which was instituted by
Constance Carter, a Negro high
school student, by her mother and
next friend, on her own behalf and
on behalf of 800 colored students ir
Arlington County similarly situated
Subsequently, two other high school
students, Julius Brevard and Peggy
Council, were permitted to intervene
1t was alleged that each of the
plaintiffs applied for and was re.
fused certain courses and educa-
tional advantages afforded to white
students at Washington-Lee but not
given to colored students at Hoff-
man-BoSton.
The suit was resisted by the
school authorities on the grount
that the educational advantage!
offered at Hoffman-Boston are sub.
stantially equivalent to those giver
at Washington-Lee and this view
was taken by the District Judge. I"
In our view, this position is un.
tenable since the evidence indicates
that in plant facilities and courses
of education the white students o.
Washington-Lee enjoy advantage
which are not offered to the stu
dents at the coiored high school.
Equipment Compared.
The differences between the two
schools are sufficiently illustrated
by the following facts which sup.
port the conclusion that discrimina.
ton actually exists:
The physical plant and equipment
at Hoffman-Boston in important
respects compares unfavorably with
that at Washington and Lee. Each
school has a shop annex but the
white high school has seven separate
shop rooms or areas with adequate
equipment for the training of stu
dents in various Skills. It has 6
general machine shop, an automo.
bile mechanics shop, mechanical
drawing room, machine shop, sheet
metal shop, printing shop and wooo
shop. The cost of the shop building
was $4,000 and the cost Of it!
equipment $21, 600.
Hoffman-BoSton has a single gen
eral shop in one room with variet!
Of equipment, but no machines o.
tools for instruction in automobil,
mechanics or printing and no ma
chimes for instruction in machine
shop, sheet metal or wood shop. TIL,
cost of the shop building which als'
houses the home economics depart
nent was $37 500, and the cost o
the equipment was $4,000.
Westinghouse has four scienc,
laboratories; that Is, physics labo
ratory, a chemistry laboratory ant
two biology laboratories with ade
quate furniture and equipmen
which cost $34,501. Hoffman-Bostol
has only one science room in whicl
all of the sciences given at tn
school are taught. The equipmen
is less substantial and varied thar
that at Washington-Lee and cos
$1,934.
Difference in Libraries.
The library at Westinghouse
consists of a reading and lending
room and a reference room. 1t con
tains 1862 books and subscription
to periodicals. The books cos
$4,000.
The library at Hoffman -Bostol
consists of one room made by com
bining two rooms of classroom siz
and is not so well adapted for librar
purposes as the rooms at Washing
ton-Lee. 1t contains LOTT book
which cost $1,921 and 81 subscrip
tionS to magazines.
Washington-Lee has two room
especially equipped for instruction
in music. 1t has also an auditorium