Reading Room Document

Georgia School Districts' Compliance with HEW Nondiscrimination Requirements Under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

The document discusses the issue of 170 local school districts in Georgia filing Form 441 with the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, which is an assurance of compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The Department takes the position that these assurances do not comply with its Title VI regulations, as the school districts have not been desegregated at the time of filing. Governor Sanders of Georgia believes that the school officials were misled by HEW and that segregated school systems would satisfy the regulations by executing the form. However, the conclusion reached in the document is that HEW's position is legally sound and that there is no reasonable basis for believing that Georgia school officials were misled. The document presents questions for review regarding the practical solution of advising Governor Sanders that HEW will accept the forms if supplemented by assurances of prompt desegregation plans and their approval by the Commissioner of Education.

March 10, 1965