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Federal court declares Pulaski County Special School District 'unitary,' ending 43‑year desegregation case
Summary
An attorney for the district told the board that a federal court has declared PCSSD unitary, returning control of previously court‑supervised matters to local governance; attorneys' fees to intervenors remain to be paid by late April.
A federal court has declared the Pulaski County Special School District 'unitary,' effectively ending a desegregation case that has touched the district for more than four decades, attorney Devin Bates told the board on March 10.
Bates, who represents the district through Mitchell Williams Law Firm, summarized the history of litigation and said the court found the district had followed the terms of its desegregation plan sufficiently that the vestiges of past discrimination had been remediated "to the extent practical." He said the only remaining open item is payment of attorneys' fees to intervenors; that obligation is expected to be resolved by April 30.
"The court declared PCSSD to be unitary," Bates told the board, adding that the practical effect is to return control over matters formerly subject to judicial oversight — including facility decisions — back to the district. Bates cautioned that the legal standard is not absolute perfection but that the court concluded the district had done enough to close the case.
Board members asked what a unitary finding means for daily operations. Bates said it removes the special reporting and pre‑clearance requirements that applied while the case was active and allows the district to make decisions without federal court review. He also said a new plaintiff could always file a fresh lawsuit alleging different constitutional violations, but that the long‑running desegregation matter is now closed.
The board heard the update from Bates during the meeting's reports section and did not take immediate action; administration and legal counsel will follow up as needed.
