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Hartford, CT School Desegregation

April 9, 2008

LDF Announces Settlement Agreement in Hartford School Desegregation Case

(New York, NY) – On April 04, 2008, the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF), the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), the Center for Children's Advocacy, and cooperating attorneys announced a settlement with the state of Connecticut in Sheff v. O'Neill, the long-fought case challenging racial segregation in Hartford public schools. The agreement requires the state to expand integrated educational opportunities for Hartford minority students, ultimately requiring the state to meet the demand of Hartford schoolchildren for racially integrated school settings within the next five years.

"This agreement represents a critical step in our long journey to end segregation in Hartford's public schools," said John Payton, LDF President and Director-Counsel.

In 1996, in a groundbreaking decision, the Connecticut Supreme Court held that the state's maintenance of racially-isolated schools in Hartford unconstitutionally deprived minority schoolchildren of their right to an equal educational opportunity. The Court ordered the state to develop an immediate remedy, but over a decade passed with little meaningful progress. LDF returned to Court in November 2007 asking for a court-ordered remedy. The parties began settlement talks after the plaintiffs showed in court that the state's desegregation efforts have been sporadic and unsuccessful to date.

Several key elements of the settlement will help ensure progress in desegregating the Hartford schools. A central requirement is the obligation that the state provide sufficient educational options to meet the demand for integration. "The constitutional right to an integrated education belongs to all Hartford students, and this agreement guarantees that right to all students who choose to seek it," said LDF attorney Matthew Colangelo.

The settlement requires the state to develop a "Comprehensive Management Plan," for the first time requiring the state to create and follow a strategic plan to coordinate all Sheff remedies. The settlement also establishes a Regional School Choice Office to oversee implementation of the plan and to ensure that all city and suburban students have full and equal access to information about their choices.

The agreement has been submitted to the Connecticut General Assembly for approval, and will then be filed with the Superior Court.

Attorneys in the case are Matthew Colangelo of LDF, Dennis Parker and Larry Schwartztol of the ACLU Racial Justice Program, and Martha Stone and Wesley W. Horton of Hartford.

In the right-hand column under Legal Documents is a copy of the settlement agreement.

Major Provisions of the Sheff Settlement Agreement

The settlement is driven by the demand of Hartford-resident minority students for integrated education.
· The Supreme Court's ruling in Sheff established that all students in the Hartford region have a right to an integrated education, and this settlement moves toward a system in which every student who wishes to exercise that right can do so.
· The settlement includes benchmarks to ensure that opportunities for integrated education increase steadily over time. The state must meet these interim numerical goals, with the ultimate aim of meeting the demand for an integrated education.

The settlement requires the state to plan more effectively to make sure that Sheff solutions actually work.
· The State Department of Education must develop a detailed Comprehensive Management Plan by the end of 2008, to outline goals and define how those goals will be met and measured. This is the first time the state has ever been required to implement a plan for coordinating all Sheff remedies.
· The settlement creates a Regional School Choice Office to oversee implementation of the plan and to support collaboration between the state and stakeholders throughout the Hartford Region, including the plaintiffs and the City of Hartford.
· The agreement makes the state accountable for taking certain clearly defined steps and meeting goals for integrated education.
· The settlement gives the plaintiffs an opportunity to cooperate with the state in developing the strategic plan, and provides the plaintiffs meaningful opportunities to go back to court if the state does not comply with the requirements of the settlement.

The settlement requires the State to take steps to increase the success of Sheff schools.
Among other goals, the agreement requires the state to:
· conduct outreach to parents throughout the Hartford Region to determine which types of programs will be most popular;
· establish methods to determine capacity in suburban districts for Open Choice, a voluntary interdistrict transfer program that permits Hartford students to attend school in the surrounding suburbs;
· establish clear processes for choosing the location and design of new magnet schools; and
· help magnet schools improve educational performance while reducing racial isolation.

The settlement requires concrete improvements that will help make it easier for families to participate in Sheff schools.
These improvements include:
· a single application process for Hartford-resident minority students who wish to apply to any Sheff program;
· the creation of a new information service center for families seeking information and advice on options for integrated education;
· general marketing and targeted recruiting in historically underrepresented communities to let families know about Sheff options;
· the provision of academic and social support services for students participating in interdistrict schools, particularly to support out-of-district students;
· expanded options for racially integrated pre-K and kindergarten schools;
· review and improvement of transportation services for students in Sheff schools.

The settlement aims to improve educational quality of all Hartford-area schools, whether or not they are Sheff schools.
· The settlement requires that all Hartford regular, non-magnet schools be paired with Sheff magnet schools, to make sure that all Hartford students benefit from the Sheff case.
· High-performing magnet schools will serve as training centers for teachers and administrators throughout the region.

The settlement requires input and oversight from the plaintiffs throughout the five-year period.
· The settlement requires the plaintiffs to have input and sign-off on the Comprehensive Management Plan.
· The plaintiffs will have a representative in the Regional School Choice Office, partially funded by the state, who will be involved in the planning and implementation of Sheff initiatives.
· The settlement requires quarterly meetings with the parties and an annual status conference with the court to monitor progress.