Federal Consent Order
An open case from 1963
Huntsville City Schools remains under federal court supervision over a case that began in 1963. The district's roadmap out of that supervision is a consent order approved in April 2015.
On September 9, 1963, a six-year-old boy entered Fifth Avenue School in Huntsville, becoming the first Black child admitted to a previously all-white public school in Alabama. The federal lawsuit behind that moment remains open, and Huntsville City Schools is still under federal court supervision.
Seven areas the district must address
In 2015, the Huntsville Board of Education, the plaintiffs, and the U.S. Department of Justice reached a consent order, which the federal court approved in April 2015. It set out a roadmap for the district to exit court supervision. The order covers seven areas:
- Student assignment
- Course offerings and programs
- Extracurricular activities
- Faculty and staff
- Facilities
- Discipline
- Transportation
The finish line is full local control
"Unitary status" is the finish line. The court can release the district one area at a time. The case closes only when all seven are released, returning the schools to full local control.
Huntsville City Schools has earned partial release, and the remaining areas are still under court supervision. Until full release, major decisions such as rezoning and the capital plan require court approval.
Our role
Unitary status for Huntsville City Schools has been a stated goal in C100's strategic plan, with a commitment to keep the issue at the forefront for members, board leadership, and elected officials. C100 publicly supported reaching unitary status and kept it in front of elected leaders and BizPac-endorsed candidates.