Liddell v. BOARD OF EDUC. OF CITY OF ST. LOUIS, MO.

674 F. Supp. 687, 1987 WL 3853
Procedural entryThis page is a short order in Liddell v. BOARD OF EDUC. OF CITY OF ST. LOUIS, MO.. Read the opinion of the Court — 654 F. Supp. 334
District Court, E.D. Missouri·Decided September 3, 1987·No. 72-100C(5)·Published

Opinion

674 F.Supp. 687 (1987)

Craton LIDDELL, et al., Plaintiffs,
v.
The BOARD OF EDUCATION OF the CITY OF ST. LOUIS, MO., et al., Defendants.

No. 72-100C(5).

United States District Court, E.D. Missouri, E.D.

September 3, 1987.

Joseph McDuffie, William P. Russel, St. Louis, Mo., for Liddell plaintiffs.

Michael Middleton, Columbia, Mo., Wayne C. Harvey, St. Louis, Mo., Craig M. Crenshaw, Jr., Jeremiah Glassman, U.S. Dept. of Justice, Washington, D.C., for Caldwell and NAACP.

James J. Wilson, St. Louis City Counselor, St. Louis, Mo., for City of St. Louis.

Michael Fields, Asst. Missouri Atty. Gen., Jefferson City, Mo., for State defendants.

Kenneth C. Brostron, Stephen Cooper, Lashly Baer & Hamel, St. Louis, Mo., for City Bd. defendants.

Joseph R. Neimann, Eric Schmitz and Timothy R. Kellett, St. Louis, Mo., for Special School Dist.

Shulamith Simon, St. Louis, Mo., amicus curiae.

Anthony J. Sestric, St. Louis, Mo., for Ronald Leggett (Collector of Revenue).

Warren M. Brown, Jay Moody, Lake St. Louis, Mo., for Budget Review Committee (BRC).

Tracy Libros, Director, Magnet Review Committee, St. Louis, Mo., for Magnet Review Committee (MRC).

Susan Uchitelle, Director, VICC—Wright School, St. Louis, Mo., for Voluntary Interdistrict Coordinating Council (VICC).

James Dixon, Exec. Director, Committee on Quality Educ., St. Louis, Mo., for Committee on Quality Educ. (CQ).

Mary Bremner, Exec. Director, St. Louis, Mo., for Desegregation Monitoring & Advisory Committee (DMAC).

Ralph Beacham, Exec. Director, Florissant, Mo., for Metropolitan Coordinating Committee (MCC).

William Knaak, Exec. VP, Convergent Systems, St. Paul, Minn., for Vocational Educ. Advisory Council (VEAC), Bi-Racial Monitoring Team (BRMC).

James Leroy Jones, St. Louis, Mo., Jay Willows, Director, GAMM Project, LaBelle, Mo., for Vocational Educ. Advisory Council (VEAC).

E.J. Williams, Superintendent, New Orleans LA School Dist., New Orleans, La., for Bi-Racial Monitoring Team (BRMT).

Charles Werner, St. Louis, Mo., Robert Bartman, Asst. Com'r, Dept. of Elementary & Secondary Educ. Jefferson City, Mo., for Nat. Educ. Ass'n (NEA).

*688 Andrew J. Minardi, Joseph Ferry, St. Louis, Mo., for St. Louis County defendants.

Robert G. McClintock, St. Louis, Mo., for Ladue School Dist.

George J. Bude, St. Louis, Mo., for Clayton, Hancock Place, Brentwood and Bayless School Districts.

Kenneth V. Byrne, St. Louis, Mo., for Valley Park School Dist.

Donald J. Stohr, James Erwin and R.J. Robertson, St. Louis, Mo., for Parkway School Dist.

Douglas A. Copeland, Robert W. Copeland, St. Louis, Mo., for Webster Groves and Rockwood School Districts.

John Gianoulakis, Mark Bremer, St. Louis, Mo., for Ritenour, Pattonville and Mehlville School Districts.

Richard Ulrich, James Sanders, St. Louis, Mo., for Maplewood and Richmond Heights School Districts.

Frank Susman, Norman C. Parker, St. Louis, Mo., for Ferguson-Florissant School Dist.

Edward E. Murphy, Jr., Garry E. Selzer, St. Louis, Mo., for Riverview Gardens School Dist.

Robert P. Baine, Jr., St. Louis, Mo., for Hazelwood School Dist.

Henry D. Menghini, Robert J. Krehbiel, Evans & Dixon, St. Louis, Mo., for Lindbergh and Affton School Districts.

Bertram Tremayne Jr., St. Louis, Mo., for Kirkwood and University City School Districts.

Darold E. Crotzer, Jr., St. Louis, Mo., for Normandy, Wellston and Jennings School Districts.

MEMORANDUM OPINION

LIMBAUGH, District Judge.

It was the best of times for the St. Louis city school system. The coveted Triple AAA rating bestowed by the Missouri Department of Education has again been received. A quality education is generally provided for all the city children attending public schools. A sound faculty of teachers and principals are dedicated to use their utmost talent in developing the skills of their students. Parents and friends are caring more about the children and are beginning to work with the educators in the business of youth education. The breadth of educational opportunity is unlimited.

An impressive black principal of an all black primary school and his remarkable first assistant stated "our goal is to make certain these children learn to communicate and when they leave our school for middle school, they can."

A white principal of a mixed middle school remarked that "these students are now being exposed to sophisticated educational experiences and they will be equipped to take their place in this competitive society."

A high school principal observed that "our teachers are back to the basics with their students, but a huge variety of other educational opportunities exists."

Throughout the system, remedial programs are administered to those students with learning disabilities and devoted teacher after teacher provide tender care for these youngsters giving them "something to hang on to."

Enrichment programs are evident and are receiving increased attention. It is amazing to enter a room in which a dozen or more fifth graders are each performing an assignment on their Apple-type computers.

An air of friendly but strict discipline pervades the system. Respect is being instilled. When the principal enters the room in some delightful primary schools, the children rise and acknowledge in animated voices, "Good morning Ms. ______."

There is great pride among the middle and high school students. Their excellent art work is everywhere. They are striving to keep their schools clean and presentable. Custodial staffs are attentive to their duties. School spirit abounds. In many difficult situations, racial problems are alleviated and the number and intensity of racial incidents remains low.

*689 Parents and relatives are coming to school meetings and are working with the teachers in seeking the best educational interests of the children. On Saturdays and after hours, some parents can be seen with the children painting the walls of school buildings with paint and equipment they provide themselves.

Vocational education is virtually unlimited. Students can receive special training in every field imaginable. A young black female has just finished a difficult welding assignment done with a highly sophisticated computer system. Others are in aviation mechanics or are using all trades to build a house (within the school confines), or are developing beautician skills or a host of other things. A middle school has its own radio broadcasting network.

Teachers, principals and administrators, generally, have worked diligently to promote a sound integrated school system and much progress has been made. It is a good school system.

But, it was also the worst of times for the St. Louis city school system.[*] The schools have not received major repairs in the memory of most of the staffs. Roofs leak in over half the schools. The leaks receive only temporary attention. In classroom after classroom, in gymnasiums, in libraries and study halls and in cafeterias, water is everywhere. It drips from the ceiling, down the walls and even from light fixtures.

Cans, buckets and other receptacles are all over. A sixth grader in a reading class leans over in her chair to avoid the steady drip of water going into a bucket at her feet.

Some of the plumbing is intolerable. On one occasion in a school when the water was flushed from a urinal, portions came down a wall in the room below, while a devoted teacher was attempting to teach her students in that room.

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Liddell v. BOARD OF EDUC. OF CITY OF ST. LOUIS, MO., 674 F. Supp. 687, 1987 WL 3853 (E.D. Mo. 1987).

674 F. Supp. 687 (Liddell v. BOARD OF EDUC. OF CITY OF ST. LOUIS, MO.) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

Related

Craton Liddell v. The Board of Education of the City of St. Louis, (Two Cases) the Board of Education of the City of St. Louis, State of Missouri v. City of St. Louis United States of America the State of Missouri Arthur Mallory, Commissioner of Education of the State of Missouri, in His Official Capacity the State of Missouri Board of Education Christopher S. Bond, Governor of the State of Missouri John Ashcroft, Attorney General of the State of Missouri Melvin E. Carnahan, Treasurer of the State of Missouri John A. Pelzer, Commissioner of Administration of the State of Missouri the State of Missouri Board of Education and Its Members, Delmar A. Cobble (President), Robert L. Welling (Vice-President), Terry A. Bond, Roseann Bentley, Dan L. Blackwell, and Donald E. West, (Two Cases) the Board of Education of the City of St. Louis, State of Missouri v. City of St. Louis United States of America the State of Missouri Arthur Mallory, Commissioner of Education of the State of Missouri, in His Official Capacity the State of Missouri Board of Education Christopher S. Bond, Governor of the State of Missouri John Ashcroft, Attorney General of the State of Missouri Melvin E. Carnahan, Treasurer of the State of Missouri John A. Pelzer, Commissioner of Administration of the State of Missouri the State of Missouri Board of Education and Its Members, Delmar A. Cobble (President), Robert L. Welling (Vice-President), Terry A. Bond, Roseann Bentley, Dan L. Blackwell, and Donald E. West, Craton Liddell, Kendra Liddell, Minors, by Minnie Liddell, Their Mother and Next Friend, and Minnie Liddell Roderick D. Legrand, a Minor, by Lois Legrand, His Mother and Next Friend, and Lois Legrand Clodis Yarber, a Minor, by Samuel Yarber, His Father and Next Friend, and Sam Yarber Earline Caldwell Lillie Mae Caldwell Gwendolyn Daniels and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People v. The State of Missouri Arthur Mallory Commissioner of Education of the State of Missouri, in His Official Capacity the State of Missouri Board of Education Christopher S. Bond, Governor of the State of Missouri John Ashcroft, Attorney General of the State of Missouri Melvin E. Carnahan, Treasurer of the State of Missouri John A. Pelzer, Commissioner of Administration of the State of Missouri the State of Missouri Board of Education and Its Members, Delmar A. Cobble (President), Robert L. Welling (Vice-President), Terry A. Bond, Roseann Bentley, Dan L. Blackwell, and Donald E. West
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674 F. Supp. 687 (E.D. Missouri, 1987)