Key events

By Times staff writer

© St. Petersburg Times, published August 11, 2000

Significant events in the history of Pinellas County's school desegregation case.

MAY 17, 1954: U.S. Supreme Court outlaws segregation in public schools.

1961: The first small desegregation of Pinellas County schools occurs when black students are admitted to St. Petersburg Junior College, then operated by the Pinellas School Board.

Judge ends Pinellas busing Next challenge: school choice Hillsborough still under court's watch Highlights of the order What does judge's ruling mean?

MAY 7, 1964: A group of black parents of Pinellas County students is joined by the NAACP Legal Defense Fund in filing suit against the Pinellas School Board. They note that only 200 of the county's 10,000 black students are attending schools with white students and they seek to end segregated education.

JAN. 15, 1965: U.S. District Judge Joseph P. Lieb orderes the desegregation of Pinellas County schools.

JUNE 2, 1971: The Pinellas School Board votes 5-2 to desegregate schools countywide.

JULY 23, 1971: Judge Lieb accepts the School Board plan and orders that no school be allowed to have a student population more than 30 percent black. By then, a Bi-Racial Advisory Committee had been created to help monitor progress toward desegregation.

OCTOBER 1976: Court rules that the School Board must make good-faith projections of the number of black and white students at each school. Agrees that students should not be forced to transfer during the school year, except to force compliance with caps on the number of black students.

MAY 18, 1977: Lawsuit is certified as class action on behalf of all black students eligible to attend Pinellas schools now or in the future.

APRIL 24, 1989: The court authorizes the creation of the first magnet school programs to encourage voluntary integration.

JUNE 17, 1998: After several years of making modifications to racial ratios and overseeing nearly every aspect of pupil assignment, the court directs the School Board to identify areas in which the district has achieved the goal of providing equal opportunities to minority students.

OCT. 9, 1998: NAACP Legal Defense Fund agrees that Pinellas has complied with the court order in the areas of transportation and opportunities for administrative staff, but disagrees that the district treats blacks the same as whites in any other areas.

DEC. 15, 1998: School Board and Legal Defense Fund attorneys agree to a nine-year plan to end court-ordered busing.

JAN. 8, 1999: U.S. District Judge Steven D. Merryday refuses to approve the agreement between the parties. He criticizes the plan for being too vague and appoints a mediator to move the parties toward a more concrete agreement.

JULY 14, 1999: Merryday agrees that Pinellas has achieved "unitary status" by treating blacks and whites alike in the areas of facilities and resources, transportation and administrative staff assignment.

DEC. 17, 1999: The School Board approves an agreement with the Legal Defense Fund on all other outstanding issues, including student assignment.

JAN. 31, 2000: The parties seek dismissal of the lawsuit.

AUG. 10, 2000: Merryday accepts the settlement agreement providing for an end to court-ordered busing and dismisses the lawsuit.

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