Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-09-10
Fenwick Introduces
Assigning Plan Rider
Schools Would
Get Freer Hand
In Placements
By ALEX r. PRESTON
Star STAFF Correspondent

- o%AS OAAWASA PuPu do
|signment plan so that Virginia
localities would retain more free
dom in transferring students
from one public school to an
other was offered the General
Assembly this afternoon.
Senator Charles R. Fenwick of
Arlington had an amendment
ready as the General Assembly
resumed its third week of the
special school segregation SEES
SION" The consensus is that the
session will go well into next
week before it decides on a
method of dealing with the SUI
preme Court desegregation de-
IciSion.
Under a bill offered by Mr..
Fenwick last week, three mem-
Der boards, appointed by the Gov
ernor. would be named in each
school district to make assign
ments from one school to
another. It's object was to meet
part of the way, without giving
in entirely. to legislators from
Southside Virginia who de-
manded that some safeguard be
written into the law to make GER
tain that no Indignation takes
place anywhere in Virginia.
Urban Areas Object
Some of the objections to the
Fenwick bill came from such ur-
ban areas as Arlington, Norfolk
and Richmond.
School administrators in those
areas say they have literally
hundreds of routine reassign-
ments every month. These are
made for various reasons having
nothing to do with race.
They say that assignment
boards of educators would
be unable to cope with the adj
ministrative problems involved in
such mass transfers.
Under the amendment, the
school boards would reassign
students but all such placements
would be subject to approval by
the Governors board.
AS a practical matter, the
Governors representatives would
intercede only when a child Of
one race might be placed in a
school attended by another race
although this would not be
specifically written into the law
for Constitutional reasons.
Gov. Stanley's program has as
its main feature the withholding
of State funds from localities
that integrate their schools. In
its present form the Stanley plan
would halt State money for all
elementary or high schools in a
given locality if one of these
schools is integrated.
Lacked Majority Initially
In its original form, the Gov
ernor's plan appeared to have
nothing like a substantial MAJOR
lily last week. Legislative senti-
ment was divided among the
Governors proposal and some
sort of pupil assignment plan.
1t was probably with this in
mind that two leading support
ers of the Governors program
came up with a modification Sat-
urday, in the form of a proposed
amendment, to improve its work.
ability.
The plan offered by State Sen
ator Harry F. Byrd. jr.. of VIM
chester and Delegate E. Black
burn Moore of Berryville, House
speaker, calls for denying State
funds only to the specific schools
that might integrate. Segregated
schools in an affected locality
would continue to get State
money.
This proposal would combat
arguments by those who say it
would be unfair to halt StatA
funds to all schools in a COM
munity merely because one school
is integrated.
A proposal offered as a side
dish to the Governors plan was
the House bill introduced last
week that sets UP procedures for
appeal Of pupil placement rul-
ings through the State courts
and puts the placement and en-
rollment powers in the Office Of
the Governor.
Hearings Resume Today
House and Senate committees
heard four days Of testimony
last week on the Governors
school program, the assignment
plan originally recommended by
his Commission on Public Edu-
cation, and other legislation.
The hearings resume this after
noon with testimony on all school
legislation not yet discussed.
Tonight the House and Senate
Courts Of Justice Committees
consider a package Of bills in
ltroduced last week that are aimed
at the National Association for
the Advancement Of colored
People. but would apply also 70
such pro-segregation organiza-
tons as the Defenders Of State
Sovereignty and Individual Lib
critics and the White Citizens
Councils.
The bills would place reStric-
tons on organizations active in
the field Of racial relations, re-
quire them 10 register their OFF,
GERS and aims and make 1t
unlawful 10 stir up litigation in
which they have no direct In
terest.