Milford chronicle., 1959-01-16
SeUeSs Point
Desegregnfi0n Plan
Unveiled By Board

continued from page one)
sions due to lack of, facilities or
for other reasons recognized as a
basis for exclusion under state law.
Space will be considered avail
able in schools that ere not more
than 10 per cent over-crOwded as
of September, 1853" the plan said.
''All capacities are to be based on
the school building. standard of 30
pupils per elementary and sec0nd-
airy classroom
Admission application forms for
pupils wishing to enter schools
other than ones they would have
attended prior to the plan are to
be obtained at the office of the
school to which admission Is
sought
Applications are to be received
Mondays through Fridays from 8
a. m. to 4 p. m. during a month
designated by the state board.
No requests will be considered
after the registration week except
for pupils who have changed their
residences. All applications must
be sent directly to the schools
where admission is requested.
Transfers will be considered, ac-
cording to the plan, only for
those pupils who are legally domi-
ciled in Delaware"
A tight policy for children of
migrant Iaborers was proposed.
They are to be admitted only to
ungraded classes to be established
by the state board.
The board said that in accordance
with court orders, consultation
with each school board named in
the litigation was set for Satur-
day, Dec. 6, 1858, in the state
boards room at Dover, and that
copies of the courts order and the
boards plan are being mailed
The plan also contains this
three point preamble:
81. The Supreme Court decision,
which required desegregation OF
public schools, recognizing the
many and varied problems on the
local level, called for an orderly
and gradual transition.
"2. Opposition on the local level
net only may hinder an orderly
transition, but may also adversely
affect the entire educational pro-
gram. Therefore, any plan conceiv-
ed must be one that will be most
readily acceptable and educational
ly justifiable.
"3. No plan can be acceptable
which would result in enrOllments
in excess of maximum class size
feasible under generally accepted
educational standards. The State
Boards prime concern has been
and must always be to provide the
best possible teaching situation for
all the children of Delaware. Rea-
sonable teacher-pupil loads help to
accomplish this objective"
Although the state board plan
affects some 40 districts in the
state, seven will be studying it with
particular interest. They are the
ones named as defendants in the
u. S. District Court desegregation
cases. They were invited to confer
with the state board last month
on the entire situation. At that
time the Clayton, Milford, Milton,
and John NJ. Clayton of Frankford-
Dagsboro boards sent representa-
tfves, but the Greenwood, Laurel,
and Seaford boards failed to send
anyone.
The court order under which the
state board is acting was signed
Nov. 8. It gave the board until Jan.
8 to notify all school boards and to
consult with the seven named in
the suit, and ordered copies to be
made available to local boards by
| Jan. 13.
The seven boards are represent
ed by James NJ. Tunnell, Jr., Ever
EFT f. Warrington, and Frederick
P. Whitney. Louis L. Redding is
counsel for the Negro children
seeking admission to the all-white
schools.
Responsibility for establishing
a plan of integration was laid at
the door of the state board rather
than the Individual districts fol-
lowing lengthy court proceedings.
The u. s. Supreme Court re-
fused to hear the matter further
and it was returned to the U. S.
Court of Appeals for the Third Cir
cult, whose clerk had sent a man
date to Judge Layton's court, re-
sulting in the last court order.
The same order clears the books
of all pending litigation between
Negro students and local school