PRESS RELEASE

CONCORDIA PARISH SCHOOL BOARD

December 11, 2024

The Concordia Parish School Board has been in negotiations with the United States in an attempt to

move the School Board’s pending desegregation case toward dismissal. The desegregation case was

originally filed on November 30, 1965. As a result of those negotiations, counsel for the United

States and counsel for the School Board have developed this proposal which, if accepted by the

School Board and implemented over the next three years, would entitle the School Board to seek

dismissal of this longstanding matter. The Court has ordered that the School Board vote on this

proposal before December 31, 2024.

Before the School Board votes on the proposed consent order, however, the School Board will be

hosting a community forum on December 17, 2024 at Vidalia Convention Center at 6:00pm.

The public is invited to come and learn about the plan. School Board members want to hear from

the public because the proposed consent order would cause changes throughout the school system,

including where students attend schools, the Board’s hiring procedures, what types of transfers are

allowed, and other areas of operation. A summary of the steps and changes the Board would be

required to make, together with the proposed consent decree itself, may be found at

Desegregation1965

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Lb9N9tU7lAtxZ9atec51SCuxR5eTohTh?usp=drive_link.