Evening star., 1955-06-01
Little Effect
On Schools in
District Seen
City Now Meeting
Requirements of
Supreme Court
BY JAMES G. DEANE

District officials expect the
Supreme Courts new anti-segre-
cation ruling to have little, If
any, effect on public school oper-
alton here.
The q. S. District Court for the
District of Columbia now has a
mandate from the Supreme Court
to see that District schools are
"racially non-discriminatory."
City officials believe. however.
that desegregation steps already
taken meet the high courts re-
quirements.
Assistant Corporation Counsel
Milton D. Norman today pre-
dicted the only local court ac-
ton. at least in the near future.
probably will be to dispose Of
the desegregation case on which
it was formally reversed yester-
day by the high tribunal.
This case involved the refusal
Of school officials to admit five
colored children to Sousa Junior
High School, then restricted to
white children, in September,
1850.
Probable Dead Issue.
Today, Sousa and the great
majority of the rest Of the city s
public schools have pupils of
both races. Because of the school
systems desegregation program
in effect since last fall, Mr.. Kor-
man said, the Sousa case now
appears to represent a dead issue.
School Supt. Hobart M. Corn
ing declared that, in his opinion,
the school system has already
accomplished what the court ex-
pected." Accordingly, he added,
the new court ruling has no i'm
mediate or direct effect on the
schools.
The court itself asserted yes
terday that Substantial progress
has been made in the District of
Columbia" DR.. Corning cited
this statement in making his
own comment.
Completion in September
The Districts Board Of Edu-
cation voted last June, on DR..
Corning's recommendation, to
start desegregation last fall. Un-
der board policy. all major steps
OF the desegregation program
are scheduled to be completed by
next September.
Mr.. Norman, in recent public
hearings before the Supreme
Court, said the school system
would be completely desegre-
gated by next fall and that for
this reason the racial issue here
will be completely moot"
A written brief to the same
effect was submitted to the court
last November. At that time, an
affidavit was also submitted from
Board President c. Melvin
Sharpe reporting that there had
been differences Of opinion
among the nine board members
as to details Of the integration
plans, but the document noted
that a board majority had au-
thorized all steps.
The Federal court here has
already been involved in the
integration steps. The Fedora
ton Of Citizens Associations
early last September asked Dis
trict Court to halt integration on
the ground the Supreme Court
had issued no order to start it.
Judge Henry A. Schweinhaut,
after a hearing, refused to inter-
fere, however. He held that the
Supreme Court had definitely
outlawed segregation and that it
was up to the school board to
decide how the change should
be made.
Judge Schweinhaut also de-
clared at the time that. in his
view, the boards plans were
wholly practicable"
Mr.. Norman said it is conceiv-
able that District Court might
be called on by citizens dissatis-
fed with the integration program
to give instructions of one sort
or another to the school board.
Some-including James M. Ma
brit. jr., and George e. c. Hayes.
attorneys for the plaintiffs in the
Sousa case-have expressed con-
Germ that the integration pro-
gram will take too long