District says federal judge will walk Mills High School Jan. 16 as facilities oversight continues
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Summary
At a community master-plan meeting, an unnamed district presenter said a federal judge will inspect Mills High School on Jan. 16 as the court’s remaining facilities obligations are addressed; the district signaled optimism about concluding oversight.
An unnamed district official (Speaker 1) told the community that in May 2021 a federal judge found Pulaski County School District had met desegregation obligations except for facilities and that Judge D. Price Marshall Jr. will conduct a final walk-through of Mills High School on Jan. 16 as part of the remaining obligations.
The presenter described facility improvements at Mills — including 10 new high-tech classrooms on the east side, increased natural light, improved internet access, classroom additions, an arena and a girls’ softball field — as work tied to the federal desegregation case. He said these upgrades addressed structural and programmatic deficiencies the court required and that feedback from students has been positive.
Speaker 1 framed the district’s approach to Mills as careful and deliberative in order to avoid renewed litigation from opposing counsel, and said attorneys on the other side had been "pretty supportive" based on the presenter’s account. The speaker expressed optimism the district could exit court oversight for facilities after the upcoming walk-through but did not announce a formal court filing or final order in the meeting.
No vote, court filing or formal judicial order was presented in the meeting; the statement about the Jan. 16 walk-through and optimism about exiting oversight were reported as the presenter described them.