Hoover School Officials, Lawyers Seek Feedback on Discrimination for Ongoing Case
The Hoover school system wants to end federal oversight over its school district. The court supervision stems from a decades-old settlement in Jefferson County’s school desegregation case.
Tonight, Hoover school officials and lawyers representing black students in the system want to get community feedback on plans that would show policies and practices are not discriminatory. Officials would examine several things in Hoover, including programs, facilities, attendance zones, and hiring practices. Hoover is under court supervision because at the time of the 1965 lawsuit, students in the Hoover area were part of the Jefferson County school system.
The meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. at Trace Crossings Elementary School.
U.W. Clemon, the lawyer representing black students and their parents, says the Hoover system still has a long way to go, especially after a controversial video recently surfaced online in which high school students in Hoover used racist and anti-Semitic slurs.
“Some attitudes have to change on the part of a lot of people before we get into the mindset of a unitary system – one in which there are no traces of racial discrimination,” Clemon says.
Hoover has increased the percentage of black teachers in the system in recent years, Clemon says. But while about a quarter of Hoover students are black, less than a tenth of teachers are black, according to federal records.
Clemon says the low percentage of black faculty, along with the school system’s lukewarm response to the video, is a problem.
“The administration, as far as many of the parents are concerned, has not been as forthright as it should have been in denouncing racists acts,” Clemon says.
The federal judge supervising the desegregation case will consider the feedback and decide what’s next.
Photo by Sporksrock120
Former U.S. Sen. Doug Jones announces run for Alabama governor
Jones announced his campaign Monday afternoon, hours after filing campaign paperwork with the Secretary of State's Office. His gubernatorial bid could set up a rematch with U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville, the Republican who defeated Jones in 2020 and is now running for governor.
Scorching Saturdays: The rising heat threat inside football stadiums
Excessive heat and more frequent medical incidents in Southern college football stadiums could be a warning sign for universities across the country.
The Gulf States Newsroom is hiring an Audio Editor
The Gulf States Newsroom is hiring an Audio Editor to join our award-winning team covering important regional stories across Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana.
Judge orders new Alabama Senate map after ruling found racial gerrymandering
U.S. District Judge Anna Manasco, appointed by President Donald Trump during his first term, issued the ruling Monday putting a new court-selected map in place for the 2026 and 2030 elections.
Construction on Meta’s largest data center brings 600% crash spike, chaos to rural Louisiana
An investigation from the Gulf States Newsroom found that trucks contracted to work at the Meta facility are causing delays and dangerous roads in Holly Ridge.
Bessemer City Council approves rezoning for a massive data center, dividing a community
After the Bessemer City Council voted 5-2 to rezone nearly 700 acres of agricultural land for the “hyperscale” server farm, a dissenting council member said city officials who signed non-disclosure agreements weren’t being transparent with citizens.
