To Bus or Not to Bus



The Supreme Court is wrestling with voluntary integration plans in public schools in two cases: Parents Involved in Community Schools v. Seattle School District No. 1, 05-908 and Meredith v. Jefferson County Board of Education, 05-915. The question before the court is do the policies of these two school systems represent student diversity or other names for illegal racial quotas? The precedence for the case is the 2003 Supreme Court ruling that permitted the limited consideration of race to attain a diverse student body on the college level. That case was hotly debated and narrowly decided with the help of Justice Sarah Day O’Conner.

With the retirement of Justice O’Conner and the addition of Alito and Roberts, the court is likely to render a different opinion. Chief Justice John Roberts has already expressed concern about making school assignments “based on skin color” and not “any other factor.”



Obviously, every child in America is entitled to the best education and the best environment to learn. But even in the richest, industrialized country on the planet, the playing field for many of the country’s schools reflect the poverty and marginality of those who are poor and under-educated. And, unfortunately, we will continue to leave children behind because we simply choose not to allocate enough educational dollars. So, not surprisingly, our schools system has become separate and very unequal. Race and its imprints of racism do matter. We are not yet a society where the field of opportunities have transcended the color of one’s skin or the vocabulary of one’s cultural expressions, or the class one attains.



Some would argue that we no longer need the safe guards of laws, diversity policies, and affirmative action programs and would like us to believe everything is all right. That argument is putting our heads in the sand and perpetuating racism, poverty, and a growing disenfranchised population.



Spiritually, we have the opportunity to explore our deep seated fear “of others”. The Supreme Court and prominent educators have all agreed diversity in the school systems brings a higher quality of education. We have the opportunity to challenge the collective fear “there is not enough” of life to go around and be shared by all God’s creatures. We have an opportunity to be free of fear and hate: to honestly look inwardly at our values, to have a national discussion on education and race.