A History of the Las Vegas School Desegregation Case: Kelly Et Al V the Clark County School District
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UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations 1-1-1997 A history of the Las Vegas school desegregation case: Kelly et al v the Clark County School District Ronan Matthew University of Nevada, Las Vegas Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/rtds Repository Citation Matthew, Ronan, "A history of the Las Vegas school desegregation case: Kelly et al v the Clark County School District" (1997). UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations. 3048. http://dx.doi.org/10.25669/jo3n-g3lf This Dissertation is protected by copyright and/or related rights. It has been brought to you by Digital Scholarship@UNLV with permission from the rights-holder(s). You are free to use this Dissertation in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. 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Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. NOTE TO USERS The original manuscript received by UMI contains pages with indistinct and/or light print. Pages were microfilmed as received. This reproduction is the best copy available UMI Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. A HISTORY OF THE LAS VEGAS SCHOOL DESEGREGATION CASE: KELLY ET AL V THE CLARK COUNTY" SCHOOL DISTRICT by Ronan Matthew A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership Department of Educational Leadership University of Nevada, Las Vegas August 1998 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. UMI Number: 9909718 Copyright 1998 by Matthew, Ronan All rights reserved. UMI Microform 9909718 Copyright 1999, by UMI Company. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. UMI 300 North Zeeb Road Ann Arbor, MI 48103 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. © 1998 Ronan Matthew AU Rights Reserved Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Dissertation Approval The Graduate College University of Nevada, Las Vegas May 15 1998 The Dissertation prepared by Ronan Matthew Entitled A History of the Las Vegas School Desegregation Case: Kelly ET AL. V. The Clark County School District is approved in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership Mttiiii Commilltv Chtiir Dciin ot the CniJuate College Dean ot the CraJwite College E.xiimiiuition Committee M a m c r E.x'^uiiniition Committee M em /er Crjdiuite College Fiiailfé Ke/mveiitiitiiv 11 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun? Does it fester like a sore or does it explode? . From river to river Uptown and down. There’s liable to be confusion When a dream gets kicked around. Langston Hughes m Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. This dissertation is dedicated to my family who sacrificed so that I could receive a tertiary education. It is also dedicated to my two children, Rona and Lucian, with the hope that they will learn to persevere to accomplish their goals. IV Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ABSTRACT A History Of The Las Vegas School Desegregation Case; Kelly et al. v The Clark County School District by Ronan Matthew Dr. Lloyd Bishop, Examination Committee Chair Professor in Educational Leadership University of Nevada, Las Vegas Kellv et al. v. Clark Countv School District (1972) is the title of a case initiated in 1968. The lawsuit alleged that de facto segregation existed in six elementary schools in Westside Las Vegas, 14 years following Brown v. Board of Education (1954) which called for the desegregation of American public schools. The case ended in 1972 with a victory for the plaintiffs, with the ordering of desegregaton of the elementary schools in question. The purpose of this study was to examine the history of Kellv et al. v. Clark Countv School District (1972). Included in the study were a review of legal cases beginning in 1820 that led to Brown and a chronology of the Kellv lawsuit from its inception in 1968 through its 1977 conclusion. The ruling to institute the sixth grade center plan was made in 1972, however the court made the final ruling in 1977, five years after the plan was operational. At this time, the court was satisfied that the school district was carrying the order to desegregate by using Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. busing and terminated its jurisdiction. In addition, three notable participants in the case were interviewed in person and one, though he did not agree to an interview in person, filled out an interview questionnaire. The questionnaire contained essentially the same questions which had been asked of the other three interviewees. The questions that guided this historical study concerned the cause of the lawsuit, the position of the Nevada legislature, the efforts toward desegregation following Brown. the course taken by the Clark County School District after Brown which fostered segregated elementary schools, and the drawbacks or obstacles to desegregation experienced by the district. This study found that the schools were segregated and according to the courts, ofiBcial actions on the part of the Clark County School District contributed to the segregation which existed. VI Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT iv CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION......................................................................................I Clark County School District ................................................................................3 Segregation in Nevada .......................................................................................... 7 Segregation in Las Vegas ..................................................................................... 8 Purpose of the Study ...........................................................................................18 The Study..............................................................................................................19 Definition of Terms ............................................................................................. 19 Significance and Need for the Study ..................................................................22 Methodology ....................................................................................................... 23 Summary ..............................................................................................................25 CHAPTER 2 HISTORICAL OVERVIEW..................................................................26 Brown I and II ..................................................................................................... 26 Kellv V. Clark Countv School District: Initial Complaint and Proposed Remedies by the Plaintiffs................................................28 Evolution of the Sixth Grade Center Plan and Busing ......................................33