Spangler v. Pasadena City Board of Education

311 F. Supp. 501
CourtDistrict Court, C.D. California
DecidedMarch 12, 1970
DocketCiv. 68-1438-R
StatusPublished
Cited by60 cases

This text of 311 F. Supp. 501 (Spangler v. Pasadena City Board of Education) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, C.D. California primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Spangler v. Pasadena City Board of Education, 311 F. Supp. 501 (C.D. Cal. 1970).

Opinion

FINDINGS OF FACT AND CONCLUSIONS OF LAW

REAL, District Judge.

The Court, having heard the testimony and considered all exhibits, and having heard the argument of counsel, enters the following findings of fact and conclusions of law.

FINDINGS OF FACT

1. The evidence in this case establishes that there is racial imbalance or segregation in the student bodies and faculties of the Pasadena Unified School District at all levels, elementary schools, junior high schools, and senior high schools.

2. That imbalance is a result of defendants’ failure to carry out their announced policies of integration, policies that relate both to faculty and student assignments.

3. These failures have occurred in connection with the teacher assignment, hiring, and promotion policies and practices of the District, its construction policies and practices, and its assignment of students. '

4. The Court has also noted with concern the racial effects of the District’s interclass grouping policies and procedures. Because of the delicate educational nature of decisions concerning grouping, the Court does not at this time deem it appropriate to enter an Order in this regard, but urges the people of Pasadena to examine carefully the grouping policies of their District.

5. Pasadena City Board of Education has used a neighborhood school policy and a policy against forced cross-town bussing to explain its failure to carry out its policies of integrating students and teachers and staff members. The neighborhood school policy is an educational consideration, but it does not normally have constitutional proportions. Under facts . of which Pasadena City Board of Education has been aware since at least 1958 as they affect the District’s elementary schools, it can be recognized that the use of the neighborhood school policy results in racial imbalance and increasing racial imbalance. The same is true of the policy against cross-town bussing.

CONCLUSIONS OF LAW

1. In Brown v. Board of Education, 347 U.S. 483, 74 S.Ct. 686, 98 L.Ed. 873 (1954), the Supreme Court was dealing, simply, with racial segregation. The Court made no distinction as to Northern segregation or Southern segregation. The Supreme Court held, simply, that segregated education is inherently unequal, that it deprived Negro children of the educational opportunity to fulfil all their dreams in this country. It further held that all children are deprived, in a constitutional sense, by segregation.

2. Under the facts of this case, use of a strict neighborhood school policy and a policy against cross-town bussing take on constitutional significance as a violation of the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States.

Because time is of the essence in vindicating the right of Pasadena’s children to obtain equal educational opportunities, the Court will at this time enter only the findings of fact and conclusions of *505 law set forth hereinabove. The plaintiff-intervenor may submit additional proposed findings of fact and conclusions of law on or before February 2, 1970; objections, if any, are to be filed on or before February 9, 1970.

JUDGMENT

In accordance with the Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law filed herein:

It is ordered, adjudged, and decreed that the defendants, Pasadena City Board of Education, Mrs. LuVerne LaMotte, Albert C. Lowe, Bradford C. Houser, John T. Welsh, and Joseph J. Engholm, as members of the Pasadena City Board of Education, and Ralph W. Hornbeck, as Superintendent of Schools for the Pasadena Unified School District, and each of them, their agents, officers, employees, successors, and- all persons acting in concert or participation with them are enjoined — from discriminating on the basis of race in the operation of -ihe — Easadena~ Unified~SchooI DistrietT

It is further ordered, adjudged, and decreed that the above-named defendants, and each of them, their agents, officers, employees, successors, and all persons acting in concert or participation with them are enjoined from failing to prejparejand adopt a plan to correct racial" _ imbalance at all levels iri~the~~Pasadena Unifrej^chobnDJstrict. Qgfexajgnls to submit that plan to the Court by FeFrFarv~T6~1970; — The-ulan 'sháH Im" elude programs for the assignment, hiring, and promotion of teachers and other professional staff members in such a manner as to reduce racial segregation throughout the District. The plan shall include procedures to be followed and goals to be attained in connection with the location and construction of facilities, both permanent and transportable, that will reduce racial segregation in the District. The plan shall provide for student assignments in such a manner that, by or before the beginning of the school year that commences in September of 1970 there shall be no school in the District, elementary or junior high or senior high school, with a majority of any minority students. The plan shall indicate specifically the expected enrollment by race, at each school in the District at the time the plan is implemented.

The Court retains jurisdiction of this cause in order to continue to observe and evaluate the plans and the execution of the plans of the Pasadena Unified School District in regard to the hiring, promotion, and assignment of teachers and professional staff members, the construction and location of facilities, and the assignment of students.

Claim for attorneys’ fees made on behalf of the plaintiffs is denied.

Plaintiffs’ costs are taxed against the defendants, and each of them, in the amount of $__

Plaintiff-intervenor’s cost are taxed against the defendants, and each of them, in the amount of $__

Supplemental

Upon consideration of all testimony and exhibits received as evidence in this case, the Court makes the following findings of fact and conclusions of law. Findings of fact numbered 1 through 5, inclusive, are identical to the Findings of • Fact filed herein January 22, 1970. The findings illustrate the facts _up0n which the Court relied in making those original findings. Conclusions of law numbered 1 and 2, below, are identical to those filed herein January 22, 1970.

I. ORIGINAL FINDINGS OF FACT

1. The evidence in this case establishes that there is racial imbalance or segregation in the student bodies and faculties of the Pasadena Unified School District at all levels, elementary schools, junior high schools, and senior high schools.

*506 2. That imbalance is a result of defendants’ failure to carry out their announced policies of integration, policies that relate both to faculty and student assignments.

3. These failures have occurred in connection with the teacher assignment, hiring, and promotion policies and practices of the District, its construction policies and practices, and its assignment of students.

4. The Court has also noted with concern the racial effects of the District’s interclass grouping policies and procedures.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Sylvia Scott v. Pasadena Unified School District
306 F.3d 646 (Ninth Circuit, 2002)
Scott v. Pasadena Unified School District
306 F.3d 646 (Ninth Circuit, 2002)
People Who Care v. Rockford Bd. of Educ.
851 F. Supp. 905 (N.D. Illinois, 1994)
Pride Communications Ltd. Partnership v. WCKG, Inc.
851 F. Supp. 895 (N.D. Illinois, 1994)
Vaughns v. Board of Educ. of Prince George's County
574 F. Supp. 1280 (D. Maryland, 1983)
United States v. South Bend Community School Corp.
511 F. Supp. 1352 (N.D. Indiana, 1981)
Larry P. v. Riles
495 F. Supp. 926 (N.D. California, 1979)
Martin v. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education
475 F. Supp. 1318 (W.D. North Carolina, 1979)
Spangler v. Pasadena City Board of Education
611 F.2d 1239 (Ninth Circuit, 1979)
Regents of the University of California v. Bakke
438 U.S. 265 (Supreme Court, 1978)
Pasadena City Board of Education v. Spangler
427 U.S. 424 (Supreme Court, 1976)
Arthur v. Nyquist
415 F. Supp. 904 (W.D. New York, 1976)
Board of Education v. School Committee of Springfield
345 N.E.2d 345 (Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, 1976)
Amos v. Board of School Directors of City of Milwaukee
408 F. Supp. 765 (E.D. Wisconsin, 1976)
Diaz v. San Jose Unified School District
412 F. Supp. 310 (N.D. California, 1976)
Tallulah Morgan v. John J. Kerrigan
509 F.2d 580 (First Circuit, 1975)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
311 F. Supp. 501, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/spangler-v-pasadena-city-board-of-education-cacd-1970.