Why Garland ISD is the last Texas district under a desegregation order — and why the Trump administration wants it ended
More than half a century after the end of legally segregated classrooms, the Garland Independent School District remains under a federal desegregation court order, one the Trump administration now wants to dissolve, even as local leaders say it has helped deliver more equitable outcomes for students across North Texas.
There are no state-sanctioned, racially segregated schools in the Garland school district today. The last vestige of that era ended five years ago, when South Garland High School removed its "Confederate Colonel" as the mascot and symbol for the school.
But for 56 years and counting, the second largest school district in Dallas County has operated under federal court order to implement actions and plans to not only desegregate schools, but also integrate academic success and growth for the district's children in Rowlett, Sachse and Garland schools.
"Is it racially desegregated, providing an equitable, fair, equal education for all? What do you say?" said Ricky McNeal, the president of the Garland chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). "I say yes. I say yes."
He and others now know the Trump administration has called for an end to all school desegregation mandates.
The U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas filed a court motion to end Garland's desegregation order, the only Texas school system still under court oversight.
The schools are no longer racially segregated, but the plan used to build equity and equal treatment for all students is called "schools of choice."
McNeal said that despite what he sees as political motives, Garland ISD's desegregation plan works.
Hispanic, Black and Asian students are now 80% of Garland's 51,000 school district enrollment.
"We believe we are on the right path," said McNeal. "A lot of the moves and protocols put in place will help us keep us going in the right direction."
The school board did not ask to end the desegregation plan, but after 56 years, supporters say its results for students could now be used to justify bringing the court oversight to a close.
"No matter the outcome of the court's decision, Garland ISD's renowned choice of school system will continue, and its commitment to academic excellence will remain unmatched," the district said in a statement.