In 1996, there was a case in front of the Connecticut State Supreme Court called Sheff vs. O'Neill. The case began in 1989, when Elizabeth Horton Sheff and other parents brought a case against then-governor William O'Neill. The issue was school districts: the way that lines were drawn meant that city districts were largely black, and suburban districts were largely white. The plaintiffs argued that this effectively amounted to discrimination.
The 4-3 decision handed down said that, in fact, the current educational districting policy was against state law. But it wasn't until 2003 that anything was done about it.
The 2003 settlement set a timetable for voluntary desegregation efforts, and provided state funding to meet these goals. By June 2007 (so they have another six months or so to do this), at least 30% of Hartford's schoolchildren, mostly at the bottom rung of the socioeconomic class structure, must be in racially desegregated schools.
However, Sheff vs. O'Neill could potentially run afoul of national law. There is a case in front of the Supreme Court where parents from Louisville and Seattle are arguing that the use of race to determine where students go to school is unconstitutional.
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