Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1962-12-02


School desegregation in tn
report said, and the quality Of
dents remains inferior to that
available to whites.
The report was prepared for
the commission by Edward A.
Mearns, an associate professor
at the University of Virginia
Law School.
Every sign indicates that
the communities in Northern
Virginia will be the first in the
State to reach compliance with
the mandate in the school seq
regation cases." said Mr.
Mearns in his report.
Northern Virginia commune
ties include the cities OF Alex
andria and Falls Church and
Arlington and Fairfax Coun-
ties.
The northern suburban WASH
ington communities are unique
among Virginia communities
which are desegregating their
schools, the commission report
said.
Area Called Liberal"
Mr.. Mearns said that because
the northern communities have
a well-educated, non-native
citizenry which is more liberal
on the race issue than the rest
Of the State, there is a greater
capacity to accept desegrega-
ton as the law of the land.
The 286 Negroes in bi-racial
schools in Northern Virginia
account for more than half Of
the States total of 533. The
public school enrolment for
the area is 91,575 whites and
6,647 Negroes.
In two of the four northern
communities, Mr.. Mearns said,
it appears that any Negro who
wishes may now attend a de-
segregated school. Falls Church
has only to admit a handful Of
Negro children to completely
desegregate its school system,
and appears ready to admit
them. the report stated.
Fairfax County, where Ne
groes are being admitted to
the white schools nearest their
homes, has moved the State a
big step toward eliminating
discrimination in its schools,
Mr.. Mearns said in his report.
Analysis Of Area
The report made these COM
ments on the Northern Virginia
locales:
Arlington County: Each child
is assigned to the school serv-
ing his district, and under its
local school plan any pupil as
signed to a school in which his
race is in a minority may be
transferred to another school.
If a pupils race is in the ma
jority at the school of his resi-
Dental zone, he must enroll
there. But if his race is in a
minority at the school in his
residential zone, he may enroll
there or elect to attend the
nearest school where his race
is predominant.
Fairfax County: A local
pupil assignment plan is in
operation here, too. Children
are permitted to enroll either
at the elementary school near
est their home or the school
nearest their home attended
primarily by children of their
own race. Under a Fairfax
school board ruling this spring,
when Negroes were permitted
to enter white schools even
though Negro schools were &C
tually closer to their homes,
the city moved close to abol-
ishing the dual school system.
In the meantime, in Fairfax
County, the white schools are
wide open to the Negro, al
though he must seek transfer.
Falls Church: This city is
unique among the States
northern communities in that
it operates no Negro schools,
sending its Negro students to
Fairfax County as tuition stu
dents. The residential distribu-
ton of the races is such that
II all the Negro children at
tended the city's schools, all
rails Church schools would be
desegregated and school au-
thorities have expressed a
readiness to accept all the
Negro pupils into the city's
schools.
Alexandria: This is the only
northern Virginia school dis
trict operating under the State
pupil placement board. Each
child is assigned to the school
nearest his home. with the ex-
ception that no child is required
to attend a school where his
race is in a minority.
The scarcity Of suitable
Negro housing in the northern
Virginia area is making school
desegregation problems more