Justice department agreement calls for Valdosta (Ga.) district to desegregate faculty and staff

News release: The U.S. Justice Department has reached a settlement agreement designed to ensure the desegregation of faculty and staff members in the Valdosta (Ga.) city school district. The consent order, if approved in court, would modify and extend the terms of a 2008 court order that required Valdosta to eliminate racial disparities in how teachers and staff were assigned to the district’s schools and to engage in efforts to recruit African-American personnel. The Justice Department determined that, although progress had been made, the district failed to meet the goals established in the earlier order. The agreement calls for the district to take additional steps to address and correct the remaining violations.