WCPSS History: Office of Civil Rights Complaint
9/17/10 “Legal strategies for challenging resegregation” on tap at NAACP-led gathering in Raleigh next Saturday (Sept. 25) “Civil rights groups have promised to take the Wake County Board of Education to court if its new student assignment plan – still a work in progress, if progress is the right word – would result in resegregation of the school system.”
9/25/10 NAACP files complaint against Wake County schools “The complaint asks the U.S. Justice Department and the Office of Civil Rights in the U.S. Department of Education to overturn an effort by a five-member majority on the Wake County Board of Education to replace a decade-old student assignment policy that included a focus on socioeconomic diversity.”
9/25/10 NAACP files complaint over Wake Co. schools “We’ve prayed, we’ve talked, we’ve walked, we’ve tried nonviolent civil disobedience,” the Rev. William Barber, head of the state NAACP, told The Associated Press before a Saturday news conference to announce the complaint. “We have tried every other option.”
9/28/10 Understanding the complaint filed against the Wake County schools “For those looking to get a real grasp on the Title VI complaint filed by the NAACP and others against the Wake County school board, we have posted the complaint along with an appendix and four separate exhibits filed with it. Just click on any of the links below to view the documents.”
12/7/10 Feds meet with Wake schools officials over segregation claims “Officials with the U.S. Department of Education were in Raleigh Tuesday to meet with Wake County Public School System administrators about allegations of racial bias in area schools.”
3/9/11 Wake schools didn’t keep busing for diversity records “School district leaders in Wake County are turning over hundreds of documents to federal investigators in response to a charge that a controversial new student assignment policy will create unequal, high-poverty schools, but some requested data was missing.”
3/9/11 Federal investigators to meet with Wake school board members “Federal investigators from the Office for Civil Rights are coming to Raleigh in April to meet with Wake County school board members about a complaint filed by the state NAACP.”
3/15/11 Civil rights investigators to talk with Wake schools officials “Federal investigators from the U.S. Office for Civil Rights have an interview scheduled with Wake County schools Superintendent Tony Tata Wednesday, a district spokesman said.”
4/3/11 Wake school board to OCR: Diversity policy was unfair “The Wake County Board of Education released data last week that calls the school system’s former busing for diversity practice into question, alleging it failed to close the achievement gap between white and minority students and placed “unfair burdens” on poor students.”
5/4/11 Federal civil rights investigators hear community thoughts on Wake schools “Nearly a year after filing a federal complaint against Wake County Schools, the state NAACP and others got the chance voice their concerns directly to those investigating it.”
Assignment Zones & Choice Plan
9/8/10 The future of school zones: Uh, oh. “Wait, wasn’t the whole idea of junking the diversity policy that it would put an end to “massive reshuffling” in the Wake school system?”
9/13/10 Wake County parents voice concerns over student-assignment zones “The concern over the assignment zones is the latest rumblings of discontent toward the school board, which has dealt with protests from the North Carolina chapter of the NAACP and a number of community groups over its move away from the diversity policy.”
9/16/10 Chamber, nonprofit hire ‘controlled choice’ schools consultant “Chamber officials said that Alves, an expert with 35 years of experience crafting student assignment plans, will produce an assignment plan within the next two months.”
9/17/10 Wake leaders strike back on schools “For months, the leadership of Wake County’s business and education establishment has watched with alarm as a new school board assembled a student assignment policy that could lead to high-poverty schools in Southeast Raleigh.”
9/23/10 Bad medicine “Why the push? Board Chairman Ron Margiotta and his sidekick, board member John Tedesco, acknowledge a goal of a new plan (thus far a model with 16 zones) in place early won’t be easy. So why aren’t they listening to McLaurin, who cautioned of the rush, “It’s a mistake. It’s got to be thoughtful and thorough.”
9/28/10 Looking for the best assignment plan “It is now clear after ten months on the job that the members of Gang of Five majority on the Wake County Board of Education either didn’t understand how difficult it would be to develop a new student assignment plan for the largest school system in North Carolina or really didn’t care as long as they dismantled the current one.”
9/28/10 Panel proves proposed Wake school map is ‘fluid,’ voting for changes “Exactly how many areas and students wound up in different proposed zones was unclear after the meeting.”
1/13/11 Maintaining racial diversity in schools “America’s strength has always been a function of its diversity, so it is troubling to see North Carolina’s Wake County School Board taking steps to reverse a long-standing policy to promote racial diversity in its schools [“In N.C., a new battle on school integration,” front page, Jan. 12].”
2/7/11 Alves plan for student assignment to be unveiled Friday “The Alves plan is long-awaited and arrives none too soon: The Wake school board majority is in the process of piecemeal reassignments affecting 3.500 students next year – and not in a good way.”
2/11/11 Wake school board members open to ‘school choice’ plan “At least three Wake County school board members spoke out favorably Friday about a new student assignment plan on the table that authors say will not only meet the school board’s goal of community schools but also ensure all students get an opportunity to succeed.”
2/15/11 Wake superintendent takes lead in student assignment plan “The Wake County Board of Education moved Tuesday to disband its Student Assignment Committee and await input from the new superintendent on how students are assigned to schools across the county.”
2/11/11 The Alves/WEP/Chamber Plan: Parents choose the schools – mostly “And diversity? The parent-choice method will “promote diversity,” its sponsors say, but indirectly rather than as a goal in and of itself.”
2/11/11 Business leaders unveil Wake student assignment plan “Wake County business leaders unveiled a school choice student assignment plan Friday that they hope will please people on both sides of the debate.”
3/8/11 Tata assembles student assignment team “Wake County’s school superintendent has temporarily reassigned six members of his staff to devote themselves entirely to implementing the school system’s new student assignment policy.”
4/28/11 Board members get preview of Tata’s student assignment plan “Wake County school Superintendent Tony Tata began sharing his vision for student assignment Thursday with members of the Board of Education.”
5/26/11 Next week: 9 public hearings set on Blue & Green options for Wake schools “Tony Tata wants your emails or your comments in person re: his Blue Plan and his Green Plan for making student assignments in Wake starting with the 2012-13 school year.”
5/23/11 Two Wake student assignment proposals to be unveiled “Parents of students in the Wake County Public School System will get their first chance Monday to look at what student assignment could be like under a new policy that moves away from socio-economic diversity as the sole criteria for placing children in schools.”
5/23/11 Blue vs. Green: Which school assignment plan will better protect Wake County values? “Strap on your skates, public participators: Wake Schools Superintendent Tony Tata put a competing pair of school assignment plans on the table today along with a schedule that would see him recommending one or the other to the school board in about three weeks.”
6/10/11 In Tata we trust? Thoughts on a Friday re: Blue vs. Green “I wrote a column in this week’s Indy about the challenges to public education in Wake County and North Carolina. At The News & Observer, one of their blogger-reporters picked it up, characterizing it as “firing shots” at the Blue plan for student assignment in Wake. Whereupon I heard from several people who asked, “I thought you were for the Blue plan?”
6/8/11 The issues behind the color-coded Wake County schools plans “Apropos of our Best of the Triangle issue, let me offer one more thing for which the Triangle itself is tops: We are the best place in America to observe whether public education as we know it will survive.”
6/8/11 Parents, NAACP focused on Wake student assignment “A new student assignment plan for Wake County schools remains a top concern for many parents.”
6/3/11 Single proposal for Wake school assignment expected in June “Wake schools superintendent Tony Tata said Friday that he hopes to recommend a single plan for student assignment to the school board in a little more than two weeks.”
6/24/11 Ron Margiotta on not setting aside too many achievement choice seats “Wake County school board chairman Ron Margiotta gave a foretaste of what could be one of the big fights ahead on the adoption of the new student assignment plan.”
6/28/11 Nearly 14K households test Wake schools assignment plan “Nearly 14,000 Wake County households participated in a trial run of a proposed student assignment plan expected to go before the local school board for approval this fall, a school system spokesman said Tuesday.”
6/24/11 Margiotta splits with Tata over the Blue plan’s achievement goal “In the interview, Margiotta differed with Tata over how many seats to reserve in the designated high-achievement schools for kids coming for reasons of low-achievement.”
6/22/11 Yellow light for Wake schools Blue plan “Sure enough, while Blue enjoyed a smooth ride through the Wake suburbs, it coughed and sputtered in Southeast Raleigh and Eastern Wake County-critical rough spots for a controlled-choice plan that is heavily dependent on parents’ involvement if it’s to succeed.”
6/21/11 Tata unveils assignment proposal that boosts parental choice “Wake County schools Superintendent Tony Tata presented a student assignment proposal that he says prioritizes parental choice to the school board Tuesday.”
6/20/11 School system reaches out for more feedback on assignment plan “Members of the task force that studied how to best implement a new student assignment policy for Wake County schools reached out to the community Monday to get more parents’ input on a proposed course of action.”
6/19/11 Wake parents encouraged to test student assignment proposal “Wake County schools are holding a series of outreach events this week to get more parents involved in figuring out how one proposed student assignment plan would work.”
6/17/11 Test drive for Wake student assignment proposal extended “More Wake County parents are needed to take part in a trial run of one proposed student assignment plan, schools Superintendent Tony Tata said during his weekly press conference Friday.”
8/11/11 New Wake student assignment plan remains under review “Wake County schools Superintendent Tony Tata said on Thursday that the financial implications of the new student assignment plan remains under review.”
10/4/11 Blog: Wake school board discusses the assignment plan “Wake County school board members are getting their first look Tuesday at a new student assignment plan aimed at giving parents more choices about where their students go to school.”
10/4/11 Long-awaited assignment plan called ‘Wake County’s plan’ “Wake County school board members have gotten their first look at a long-awaited student assignment plan aimed at giving parents more choices when it comes to where their children go to school.”
10/5/11 School board candidates weigh in on Wake assignment plan “Initial response to a plan for how the Wake County Public School System will assign students under a new assignment policy is mostly positive, so far, among the 14 candidates vying for five seats on the school board that will oversee and carry it out.”
10/13/11 Vote scheduled for Wake student assignment plan “North Carolina’s largest public school district is voting on a controversial student assignment policy two days after elections decided control of what happens over the next two years.”
10/12/11 Elections might not derail Wake student assignment plan “The election of four Democratic-backed candidates and a run-off for the final seat on the Wake County Board of Education might not necessarily mean big changes to a new student assignment policy that’s been two years in the making.”
12/16/11 Tata reassures real estate agents about assignment plan “Wake County schools Superintendent Tony Tata met Friday with local real estate agents to answer questions they have about how the district will soon be assigning students.”
1/10/12 Student assignment plan will move forward on schedule “Despite lingering concerns, the Wake County student assignment plan will move forward on schedule without any changes.”
1/10/12 Wake school board: Go, or no-go on Tata assignment plan? “Well, fellow Wake County citizens, we’re down to it on Tony Tata’s student assignment plan, a controlled-choice plan with no base assignments for students:”
1/9/12 Questions linger about Wake student assignment plan “An outspoken critic of the old Wake County school board majority is calling on the new board to delay the district’s new way of assigning students to schools.”
1/6/12 Tata: Despite concerns, assignment plan is on track “Wake County Public School System Superintendent Tony Tata said Friday that, as far as he’s concerned, the district’s new choice-model student assignment plan is on track, despite some school board members wanting to put it on hold temporarily.”
1/4/12 Parents question Wake assignment plan’s feeder patterns “Wake County schools leaders say they have received mostly positive feedback on the new student assignment plan, which is set to take effect in two weeks, but a group of parents is asking the board to take another look at the feeder patterns before moving forward with the new plan.”
1/3/12 Last-minute changes proposed for Wake student assignment plan “Just two weeks before Wake County’s new student assignment plan is set to take effect, some school board members said they’re not comfortable supporting it and proposed last-minute changes.”
1/17/12 School choice selection begins Tuesday for Wake parents “Wake County parents will get the chance Tuesday to select what public schools they would like their children to attend next school year when the selection process begins for the school system’s new student assignment plan.”
1/17/12 New Wake school board MIA as assignment plan moves forward “They’re clearly not on the same page. But that’s not the problem so much as it is the fact that they don’t seem to be making much of an effort to get on the same page – i.e., to reach a consensus among themselves about how to move diversity forward.”
2/2/12 Wake County parents voice concerns over assignment plan “Dozens of parents concerned over where Wake County’s choice student assignment plan will take their children gathered at Martin Street Baptist Church in Raleigh on Thursday evening.”
2/23/12 First round of school choice wraps Friday “Parents of children in Wake County public schools have until Friday to choose the schools they want in the online selection process for the district’s new student assignment plan.”
2/22/12 75 Percent of Parents Made School Choices So Far “Reed’s diagnosis: “There’s a big rush to make this happen before anyone can say no and stop it.”
2/17/12 Group: Schedule shift hides cost of Wake assignment plan “A community group on Friday charged that the costs of the new student assignment plan for Wake County schools is being obscured by a proposed shift in school schedules for next fall.”
4/27/12 Tata defends assignment plan; apologizes for computer glitch “Wake County public schools Superintendent Tony Tata on Friday said he’s confident that most parents were satisfied with the results of the second and final round of the student assignment process, the results of which were announced Thursday afternoon.”
4/26/12 Wake schools to announce second round of choice results Thursday “The Wake County Public School System will release school assignments for a second round of parents and children Thursday afternoon, including those who submitted an application in choice-selection round two in April, those who are on a waiting list for their first choice and those who are still waiting for an assignment.”
6/12/12 Wake student assignment plan winding down first year “The devil is in the details for a few thousand families as the Wake County schools’ choice-based student assignment plan winds down its first year of use.”
6/19/12 Wake to look at assignment plan – again “Wake County parents might be excused if they’re feeling some déjà vu as the school board yet again takes up the issue of its student assignment policy Tuesday.”
6/19/12 Wake school board votes to change student assignment plan “After hours of heated debae Tuesday night, the Wake County school board voted just before 1 a.m. Wednesday to have school system staff revise the district’s choice-based student assignment plan just eight months after it was approved.”
7/9/12 As school begins, some parents still confused by ‘choice’ “As students enrolled in year-round schools returned to the classroom Monday, some parents still didn’t know what school their children were supposed to attend, and that created some tense moments at the headquarters of the Wake County Public School System.”
9/4/12 Apologies, anger as Wake school board deals with bus delays
“The Wake County Board of Education heard from angry parents and apologetic staffers Tuesday night on the issue of busing for 75,000 to 80,000 public school students across the county.”
9/4/12 Wake adds school buses to routes Tuesday
“More school buses hit the road in Wake County on Tuesday in an attempt by the school district to answer parent complaints about long delays, long rides and no-show buses that plagued the first week of school for students on a traditional calendar.”
9/17/12 New Wake student assignment plan ties ‘base’ schools to addresses
“Wake County school board members and the public will get their first look Tuesday at a revised student assignment plan that, school system leaders say, will link specific schools to every address in the district.”
9/19/12 New Wake assignment proposal combines choice, address-based models
“The Wake County Public School System is once again revising its student assignment plan, incorporating the old address-based model with the controlled choice method that debuted this school year.”
3/6/13 Emails detail chaos behind Wake schools transportation
“Chaos, distrust and frustration characterize angry parents’ concerns last year over Wake County Public School System busing problems at the start of the school year, according to nearly 3,500 pages of internal emails obtained by WRAL News through the Freedom of Information Act.”
3/6/13 Emails give insight into Wake County School system troubles
“There is now a better look at what was going on behind the scenes at the Wake County School System at the beginning of the school year as transportation problems left students stranded, led to the resignation of a senior administrator and ultimately, was one of the reasons the school board fired former superintendent Tony Tata.”
7/18/13 Tedesco proud of Wake school board tenure, despite controversy
“A day after announcing he wouldn’t seek re-election this fall, Wake County Board of Education member John Tedesco said there were a few things he could have done differently during his tenure, but that he was proud of the board’s accomplishments overall.”
6/13/14 Your weekend read: a close look at resegregation in America’s public schools
“During these past few busy months you may have missed the launch of ProPublica‘s “Segregation Now,” which takes a deep look at how how America’s schools have steadily resegregated since the Brown v. Board of Education federal ruling that was handed down sixty years ago.”
Accreditation Threatened Due to Extreme Board Dysfunction
8/17/10 Accreditation group plans review of changes in Wake schools “The group sent a letter to Donna Hargens, school system interim superintendent, on July 28 outlining concerns and questions raised in a complaint filed in March.”
8/17/10 Accreditation Agency Reviewing Wake Co. School Board “Our primary concern is are they governing in the best interest of the students and the community and to not only look at the process they followed but the determination regarding student assignment,” Elgart said by phone.”
9/23/10 Organization threatens to strip Wake schools’ accreditation “A national organization that accredits high schools says it could strip Wake County schools of accreditation because of the “openly defiant” stance school district officials have taken toward a review by the group.”
9/23/10 Agency Threatens to Pull Wake Schools Accreditation “Unfortunately, the openly defiant nature of your correspondence makes engaging in the collegial process of accreditation services difficult. As I stated in our phone conversation, the Board’s refusal to comply with our requests is in direct violation of the AdvancED Policies and Procedures for Accredited Schools and constitutes grounds for dropping the accreditation of the Wake County Schools.”
9/24/10 Wake schools to meet with accreditation team “After a national organization that accredits high schools threatened to strip Wake County schools of accreditation, school district officials said Friday that they would comply with a review by the group.”
9/24/10 State NAACP accuses school board majority of arrogance for not cooperating with AdvancED “In a press release today, the NAACP argues the delay turning over the records requested by AdvancED shows the “delinquent, arrogant response of the Board.” The NAACP urges Wake to “start working together with international educational consultants and groups who want to advance excellence in education in Wake.”
9/26/10 Critical accreditation “I watched as every school decided I needed even higher scores on other entrance exams and was ineligible for scholarships since my high school diploma “didn’t count.”
1/11/11 Wake schools told to consider dropping accreditation “An administrator with a national accreditation group has suggested the Wake County Public School System consider withdrawing its accreditation in light of a pending review unless school officials “can move forward in a more collegial and collaborative manner,” according to e-mails made public Tuesday by the school district.”
1/12/11 Morrison opposes dropping Wake schools accreditation “Wake County school board member Carolyn Morrison says she will vote against any measure for the school system to leave a national accreditation group, and at least one community group is also speaking out against the idea.”
1/13/11 Wake schools review could happen without board’s help “We are prepared to come on site and meet with individuals that are willing to cooperate with us, and we will conduct our work with or without the cooperation of some or all of the members of the board of education,” Mark Elgart, president and chief executive officer of AdvanceEd, said Thursday.”
1/14/11 AdvanceEd CEO says Wake schools review is fair “The national accreditation group at odds with the Wake County Board of Education over whether an upcoming review of the panel’s effectiveness is unjust is standing by its insistence that the process will be fair.”
1/14/11 Accreditation agency not on board with Wake “An international school accreditation firm is describing the Republican majority on the Wake County School Board as confrontational.”
1/30/11 Wounded Wake School Board concedes to agency probe “When the Republican-led Wake County School Board came out of its 50-minute closed door session with it attorneys Tuesday morning, it was clear that the majority had a dramatic “come to Jesus” moment.”
2/18/11 Wake school officials meet with AdvancED for second day “Wake County school officials spent a second day Friday meeting with an accreditation team that’s reviewing how the school board does business.”
2/17/11 Accreditation group meets with Wake school board “A team from the national accreditation group AdvancED began its long-anticipated visit with the Wake County Board of Education Thursday, meeting with several board members and community groups.”
3/16/11 Wake schools keep accreditation, despite leadership concerns “Accreditation agency AdvancED released a report on Wake County high schools Wednesday, placing them on “accredited warned” status due to a lack of effective governance and leadership.”
3/16/11 Wake schools retain accreditation for now, but the report is blistering “Whew, the AdvancED team didn’t think much of the “governance” provided – since Dec. 2009 – by the Wake school board majority.”
3/17/11 NC NAACP applauds ‘scathing’ report of Wake schools “The head of the state NAACP said Thursday that he hopes the Wake County Board of Education will take seriously a “scathing report” by a national accreditation group.”
3/17/11 NAACP says it’s backed by Wake schools report “The North Carolina NAACP said Thursday that a new report from the accreditation group AdvancED backs its position on diversity changes within Wake County schools.”
6/15/11 General Assembly passes high school accreditation bill “State legislators have approved bills on high school accreditation and on the voting power of the Wake County school board chairman that have been sought by some local school board members.”
6/21/11 Wake school board reorganizes: Chaos ensues. “I’ll begin again, for the 4th time, when our school board returns. However, as near as I can determine, the code of conduct for live-bloggers does not require me to remain past the three-hour mark when there is so little at stake. Not to say being vice chair of the school board is so little. No, it’s less than little.”
11/29/11 Accreditation review focus again for Wake schools “Wake County’s school superintendent said Tuesday that the school board has made a number of positive changes in how it operates after a national group threatened to revoke accreditation for the district’s high schools.”
1/18/12 Wake school board rejects mediation in case against protesters “The Wake County Board of Education has not changed its mind about criminal action against four protesters who brought a school board meeting to a standstill in June 2010.”
1/26/12 Review finds ‘significant’ progress in how Wake schools operate “The Wake County Public School System and the school board have “demonstrated significant improvement” in how it operates, according to a report Thursday from a group that threatened to revoke accreditation for the district’s high schools.”
9/26/12 Accreditation agency concerned about Wake schools turmoil
“An Atlanta-based agency that accredits Wake County schools said Tuesday’s firing of Superintendent Tony Tata and other controversial decisions by the Wake County Board of Education could threaten the district’s accreditation status.”