Appendix — McDonough v. Morgan
Supreme Court brief1977
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— Coart, U. a |
FILED
NOV 11 1976
In the SE BOONE, AALS |
Supreme Court of the United States
Octoser Term, 1976
“46-664 4
JOHN J. MecDONOUGH, ET AL.,
PETITIONERS,
Vv.
TALLULAH MORGAN; ET AL.,
RESPONDENTS.
APPENDIX TO
PETITION FOR A WRIT OF CERTIORARI TO
THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
FOR THE FIRST CIRCUIT
James J. SuLuivan, JR.
Francis J. DiMento
Purp T. Trerney
DiMento & Sutiivan
100 State Street
Boston, Massachusetts 02109
Counsel for the Petitioners
Blanchard Press, Inc., Boston, Mass. — Law Printers
ee a
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
Plaintiffs’ Motion for Further Relief Concerning South
Boston High School, filed November 18, 1975 ...... 1
The District Court’s Notice of Hearing and Procedural
Orders, entered November 19, 1975 .............4.. 13
Defendant Schol Committee’s Objection to Notice of
Hearing and Procedural Orders and Motion for Con-
tinuance, filed November 20, 1975 ................ 16
Stenographie Transcript of Proceedings in the District
Court, December 9, 1975 |pp. 69-115] ............ 19
The District Court’s Order Suspending Appointive
Power of School Committee, entered December 9,
EE ik bine vache ce Wnbavsekacuruas can tacs iiasuet 53
The District Court’s Order Concerning South Boston
High School, entered December 9, 1975 ............ 55
Motion to Stay Orders of December 9, 1975, filed with
the District Court December 10, 1975 ............ 58
Motion for a Stay, filed with the Court of Appeals for
the First Cirenit December 10, 1975 .............. 59
Stenographic Transcript of Proceedings in the District
Court, December 15, 1975 | pp. 1-38] .......... oy
Boston School Committee’s Further Motion for Stay,
filed with the Court of Appeals for the First Cireuit
IEE i vive ny60n0e0s bebeusuecseeeeees 89
The District Court’s Supplementary Findings and Con-
clusions on Plaintiff’s Motion Concerning South Bos-
ton High School, entered December 16,1975 ........ 90
Memorandum and Order of the Court of Appeals for
the First Cireuit, entered December 19, 1975 ........ 110
The District Court’s Modification of Order Coneern-
ing South Boston High School, entered December 24,
SON Rae SGS eek is WORDLE ECRS oN nes Seduce ddaceckar 114
The District Court’s First Order as to Facilities at
South Boston High School, entered December 24,
SD dedévceutesavadssude rhegubunessesdauadeauees
il Table of Contents
Page
Stenographie Transcript of Proceedings in the District
Court, December 31, 1975 [pp. 1-15; 38-55] ........
The District Court’s Corrections in Supplementary
Findings, Filed December 16, 1975, entered January
SS Rewer re ree
The District Court’s Substitution of Temporary Rece-
eiver, entered January 6, 1976 ............. cee ees
The District Cort’s Memorandum and Third Order as
to Facilities at South Boston High School, entered
Weneeeey BD, TOPS ocicccccceviscccadbecsseacsece
Stenographic Transcript of Proceedings in the Dist-
rict Court, March 2, 1976 [pp. 79-97] ..............
The District Court’s Memorandum and Order for Ap-
pointing of Headmaster at South Boston High School,
eer ree eee
The District Court’s Memorandum and Order Concern-
ing Appointment of Administrative Staff at South
Boston High School, entered June 4, 1976 ..........
The District Court’s Modification of Order Concern-
ing South Boston High School, entered June 22, 1976
The District Court’s Further Modification of Order
Concerning South Boston High School, entered Aug-
SB err ee err ee eee
The Opinion of the Court of Appeals for the First Cir-
out, enberas Gad Fe, Bee 6k dv kadacececavicvas
The Judgment of the Court of Appeals for the First
Circuit, entered August 17, 1976 ..................
The District Court’s Memorandum and Further Order
Concerning Appointment of Administrative Staff at
South Boston High School, entered August 20, 1976. .
The District Court’s Memorandum and Further Order
Concerning Appointment of Administrative Staff at
South Boston High School, entered September 27,
1976
143
144
145
153
166
172
174
175
176
191
192
194
Unitep Srares District Court
District or MAssacCHUSETTS
Civil Action No. 72-911-G
TaLLuLAH Moraan, et al.,
PLAINTIFFS,
v.
Joun J. Kerrican, et al.,
DEFENDANTS.
PLAINTIFFS’ MOTION FOR FURTHER RELIEF
CONCERNING SOUTH BOSTON HIGH SCHOOL
Based upon the affidavits of numerous black students
enrolled at South Boston High School (Attachments, pp. 1-
56), and other statements, documents, and evidence attached
to and described in this motion, plaintiffs move this Court
for the entry of orders providing:
(a) that an urgent evidentiary hearing be held to
consider the need to close South Boston High School
to remedy the unconstitutional conditions which exist
in that school; and that at this hearing, the Court and
parties receive reports and recommendations concern-
ing South Boston High School from the Community
Relations Service (CRS), the monitoring staff and
mediation panel of the CCC, and the officers of the
state and local law enforcement agencies stationed in
and around South Boston High School;
(b) that South Boston High School teachers James
Sealese and Arthur Perdigao, and a white transitional
aide known to the students as ‘‘ Big Red’’ be added to
this action as parties defendant, and be directed to
show cause during this evidentiary hearing why they
are not in violation of this Court’s order prohibiting
racial discrimination by all agents and employees of
the defendant school committee ;
2
(ce) that the defendant Boston School Committee
be ordered to commence proceedings immediately un-
der Mass. Gen. Laws, Ch. 71, see. 42, to remove the
above named individuals permanently from any em-
ployment by the defendants for ‘‘conduct unbecoming
a teacher’’ and for other good cause, the case against
the personnel in said proceedings to be conducted by
an attorney designated by counsel for plaintiffs in this
action; and that pending the outcome of said proceed-
ings, the defendant Boston School Committee be
ordered to remove immediately the above named indi-
viduals from any duties, teaching or otherwise, within
the Boston school system;
(d) that the local school and mayoral defendants
be ordered to investigate immediately and locate one
or more appropriate physical facilities, in a ‘‘neutral’’
location outside of South Boston, of sufficient size to
provide for the relocation of the faculty, staff, and
students of South Boston High School; and that the
local school officials simultaneously report to the Court
on the feasibility of reassigning the students, faculty
and staff presently at South Boston High School to
available seats and teaching positions at other high
schools in the city where space is now available based
on actual fall 1975 enrollments;
(ec) that the defendant school committee members
and superintendent be required to file within two weeks
a plan for supervisors of attendance satisfying their
responsibilities under Mass. Gen. Laws, Ch. 77, § 13
by investigating cases of persons inducing truancy by
promoting school boycotts in violation of Mass. Gen.
Laws, Ch. 76, § 4; and
(f) all other relief deemed by this Court to be
appropriate and proper.
FOr ne Oe mete.
3
In support of this motion, plaintiffs make the following
allegations:
(1) Since the first day of school in 1974-75, black stu-
dents attending South Boston High School have been sub-
jected to conduct interfering with their right to a peaceful,
desegregated education and threatening their physical
safety. This conduct, examples of which are detailed in
this motion, has included assaults, racial epithets, and dis-
criminatory treatment. Black faculty assigned to South
Boston High School have also been subjected to harass-
ment, verbal abuse, and physical assault.
(2) The severity of the ongoing mistreatment of black
students at South Boston High School is demonstrated by
recent events. The affidavits and other attachments show,
for example:
(a) Black students in South Boston High School
are presently being subjected to discriminatory treat-
ment, abuse, and other lack of support by the predomi-
nantly-white faculty and staff of that school. One
teacher, James Scalese, has climbed upon his desk and
made gestures and sounds like a monkey in ridicule of
black students. On a separate occasion he made similar
monkey sounds and gestures in the doorway of his
classroom at several black students outside. (Attach-
ments, pp. 1-2, 36-37, 38)
(b) Another teacher, Arthur Perdigao, who is the
school football coach, initially thwarted all attempts
by black students to go out for the school’s football
team. On one occasion, he disregarded a note from
the school’s headmaster directing him to allow a black
student to practice with the team. After a black assist-
ant football coach was added to the coaching staff and
six black students were allowed to come out for the
team, the black players were made to ride to practice
on separate buses, and were directed to practice, for
4
the most part, separate from the white members of
the team. After the team’s October 23 game at White
Stadium, Coach Perdigao told the white players to
‘*get them [the black players] at school the next day.”’
Later he removed the black players from the team for
asserted offences such as ‘‘smoking,’’ although at least
one of the black players is a total nonsmoker. (At-
tachinents, pp. 38-42)
(ec) Other offensive, racially discriminatory actions
by other individual faculty members are described in
the attached affidavits and in subsequent evidence and
testimony plaintiffs intend to present at the eviden-
tiary hearing.
(d) Other actions by South Boston High School
faculty have undercut the smooth implementation of
this Court’s desegregation orders. After the South
Boston Black Student Caucus met on October 8, 1975,
and issued a list of grievances, the Citywide Coordi-
nating Council (CCC) established a mediation panel
to attempt to work out some of the problems in the
school. On or about Thursday, October 16, 1975, after
meeting with members of the panel, the South Boston
High School faculty voted 26-24 not to cooperate with
the work of this group. On information and belief,
the faculty voted subsequently not to cooperate with
a separate task force established by Superintendent
Fahey.
(e) Despite this Court’s ban on the use of racial
epithets within the schools, black students in South
Boston High School continue to be subjected to daily
verbal abuse. In addition to familiar racial slurs,
white students this year have employed the chant
‘*2, 4, 6, 8, assassinate the nigger apes.’’ (Attach-
ments, p. 5). During the changing of classes, groups
of white students frequently sing ‘‘bye, bye. biack-
Ce ee ne
)
bird’’ and ‘‘jump down, turn around, pick a bale of
cotton.’’ The white student caucus of South Boston
High School also issued a list of demauds which in-
cluded the demand that music be played over the
school’s public address system during the changing
of classes for the express reason that ‘‘music soothes
the savage beasts.’’ (Attachment, pp. 14-15) The at-
tached affidavits detail a number of instances in which
school staff and police authorities stationed inside the
building have heard such remarks and chants but have
failed to take any corrective or disciplinary action.
(Attachments, pp. 5-6)
(f) Black students in South Boston High School
continue to be subject to frequent physical attacks by
groups of white students. Many such incidents are
described in the attached affidavits, and other examples
of such incidents can be presented at an evidentiary
hearing. Frequently, one or two black students have
been attacked by a much larger group of white stu-
dents, without provocation. More often than not, school
and police authorities detain and suspend all the black
students involved in the incident, but only one or two
white students. The }!ack students are disciplined for
defending themselves from an unprovoked attack while
numbers of the white attackers escape any disciplinary
measures. (Attachments, pp. 2-3, 5, 22, 27-28, 34, 41,
46, 53)
(g) The police force stationed within the building
has not been a neutral disciplinary force. The attached
affidavits, and other testimony to be presented at an
evidentiary hearing, reveal incidents in which police
officials responsible for breaking up an interracial fight
have held black students while white students con-
tinued to hit or kick them. One black female aide,
wearing a clearly identifiable jacket with the word
6
‘‘aide’’ on it, was hit, clubbed with a nightstick, and
handcuffed by a state trooper, who later apologized to
the aide and asked that charges not be pressed against
him, when he learned that his actions were in error.
On another occasion, several police officers physically
carried a non-resisting black student down to the base-
ment of the school, dropped him onto the floor, and
threatened to ‘‘break his arms.’’ (Attachment, pp. 2,
5, 10-11, 27-28, 33-34)
(h) During recent weeks, persons presently un-
known to plaintiffs’ counsel have promoted racial ten-
sion within the school through the distribution of
inflammatory handbills to white students. Black stu-
dents have observed the distribution of such handouts
inside a small sandwich shop near the school, and at
other places. One such handbill, distributed in late
October, 1975, reads in part:
TO ALL THE WHITE KIDS IN ALL THE
SOUTHIE SCHOOLS ... IF YOU THINK
ITS JUST BUSING -YOURE WRONG. ITS
TOTAL TAKE OVER AND YOURE JUST
SITTING ON YOUR ASS LETTING THEM
... WAKE UP AND START FIGHTING FOR
YOUR SCHOOL AND TOWN. ITS TIME YOU
BECOME THE AGGRESSORS... DONT BE
SCARED BY THE FEDERAL OFFENSE
THREATS. A FIGHT IN A SCHOOL ISNT
A FEDERAL OFFENSE... BE PROUD YOU
AhE WHITE AND FROM SOUTHIE AND
SHOW EVERYONE THAT THIS IS HOW
YOU ARE GOING TO KEEP IT NO MATTER
WHAT. (Attachments, p. 57)
Other examples of inflammatory handbills are at-
tached. (Attachments, pp. 58-60)
7
(3) The events described in paragraph (2), which have
occurred in South Boston during the opening months of
Phase II, are part of a pattern of racially discriminatory
and hostile conduct which began before the trial in this
action, and has continued through the succeeding months
of Phase One and Phase Two desegregation. The evidence
suggests that this racial animosity and discrimination con-
tinues to intensify rather than lessen. A partial listing of
racial factors surrounding South Boston High School,
which are already part of the record of this case, include
the facts set out below.
(4) Until the commencement of desegregation in Sep-
tember 1974, South Boston High School was a virtually
all-white school. The following statistics show the school’s
student enrollment and faculty make-up in 1967-68 and
1972-73.
Year —Students— — Faculty —
B W OM B W OM
1967-68—0 1602 0—1 78 «(OO
1972-73 —1 1819 23—2 106 0
Discriminatory conduct by school and other governmental
officials created and maintained South Boston High School
as a racially identifiable ‘‘white school.’’ (See 379 F.Supp.
at 425-28, 438, 440-49, 459-60, 463-66, 471-73.)
(5) The problem of discriminatory treatment of black
students at South Boston High School existed and was
recognized prior to court-orde:ed desegregation. (See
Deposition of Dr. William Reid, September 12, 1972, pp. 12-
23, 30-31, Plaintiffs’ Trial Exhibit 570; Report and Recom-
mendations of Louis Jaffee, May 28, 1973; 379 F.Supp.
at 446.)
(6) On a number of occasions during the 1974-75 school
year, crowds of white persons menaced black students
assigned to South Boston High.
&
(a) On the first day of the 1974-75 school year,
September 12, 1974, at the end of the school day,
crowds of white persons m South Boston stoned the
buses transporting black students and teachers from
the schools in that community, including South Boston
High School. Some of the black students and teachers
were cut, and many buses were damaged. There were
also stonings on the second day of school, September
13, 1974. (See Plaintiffs’ Motion for Impoundment,
and attached affidavits, September 13, 1974; Plaintiffs’
Second Motion to Impound, and attached affidavits
September 16, 1974.) Violence and harassment con-
tinued on subsequent days.
(k) In order to prevent or minimize the occurrence
of such incidents, it has been necessary since the sec-
ond day of the 1974-75 school year to assign large
contingents of police te convoy buses transporting
students to and from South Boston High School and
to guard the area around that school. (See, for ex-
ample, Attachments, p. 61, Deployment of Police,
March 21, 1975.)
(ec) On December 11, 1974, after a white student
was stabbed in South Boston High School, a large
crowd of white persons gathered at the school, pre-
venting officials from returning black students to their
homes. The black students were removed from the
area by use of ‘‘decoy buses,’’ after a substantial
number of police reinforcements arrived at the school.
Thereafter, South Boston High School was closed until
January, 1975. (See Video Tape, Exhibit 1, December
13, 1974, pp. 102-104.)
(d) On May 8, 1975, after the Court had entered
an order limiting gatherings near South Boston High
School, a large crowd of white persons congregated
at the school. Boston Police Commissioner Di Grazia
9
characterized the situation as follows in a letter to
Secretary of Public Safety Barry on May 9, 1975:
Several incidents have occurred recently in and
around South Boston High School causing large
hostile, aggressive crowds to gather in the vicinity
of the hith school. Today, May 8, 1975, a bus
carrying students was stoned at the Dean-Hart
School about 11:00 A.M. Therefore, I am request-
ing the restoration of the eighty-five (85) State
Troopers, your department was utilizing as a
reserve force at the Commonwealth Pier...
(Attachments, p. 62)
(7) During the 1974-75 school year also—despite numer-
ous precautionary measures—tension, disruption, and vio-
lence remained at such a high level in and around the
school that the Mayor declared on October 7, 1974 that’
city police officials were no longer able to guarantee by
themselves maintenance of public safety in South Boston
and petitioned the Court to order a contingent of United
States marshalls to assist in keeping order there. (Attach-
ments, pp. 63-69; Letter of Mayor Kevin White and affi-
davit.)
(8) During the 1974-75 school year, black students as-
signed to South Boston High School were on their way to
school, in the vicinity of the school, and within the school
subjected to racial epithets, and vile and obscene gestures
by white students and residents of South Boston. These
incidents included chants such as ‘‘niggers eat shit’’ and
the mimicking of a monkey. In addition, racial epithets
were painted on buildings. (See Video Tape, Exhibit 1,
December 13, 1974; Testimony, Transcript of Hearing,
December 13, 1974, pp. 79-80, 85, 97-98, 101, 123.)
(9) Racial mistreatment in South Boston had not been
limited to students. For example:
(a) Prior to the start of the 1974-75 school year,
some black teachers assigned to South Boston High
10 :
School were harassed. (See Report of Boston Teachers
Union to the Court, September 6, 1975)
(b) Some black teachers were riding on the buses
stoned on the first day of the 1974-75 school year.
(ec) Black teachers and staff have been subjected
to racial epithets. (Testimony, Hearing of December
13, 1975, pp. 80, 85)
(d) Since the start of the 1974-75 school year,
many black persons have been subjected to racial vio-
lence in South Boston. One snch incident, a mob
attack on an innocent passerby, resulted in a federal
court conviction of one of the perpetrators which ex-
plicitly linked such general violence to interference
with exercise of black students’ constitutional rights
under this Court’s orders;
(e) Some white residents of South Boston have
been subjected to harassment for conduct such as par-
ticipating in a bi-racial council election. (See Attach-
ments, pp. 70-73)
(10) The problems which black students have experi-
enced at South Boston High School are to a significant
degree the result of intentional conduct by organizations
and individuals in South Boston. For example
(a) The South Boston Home and School Associ-
ation, during 1974-75, and the South Boston Informa-
tion Center, during 1974-75 and 1975-76, have pro-
moted, successful school boycotts in violation of state
law. See Mass. Gen. Laws, Ch. 76, 4 4. These actions
have created a climate in which more serious violations
of law were likely to occur, and have occurred. (See
Attachments, pp. 74-80)
(b) The South Boston Information Center has
promoted racial tension. (See Attachments, pp. 81-83)
(c) Persons presently unknown to plaintiffs’ coun-
sel have promoted racial tension. (See Attachments,
pp. 57-60)
11
(11) On information and belief, plaintiffs allege that
the defendant school committee members and superintend-
ent have not acted against persons urging truancy. (See
Mass. Gen. Laws, Ch. 77, § 13.)
(12) The Court has attempted by a series of actions to
improve the situation in South Boston High School and
other schools. On October 9, 1974, December 17, 1974, and
September 5, 1975, the Court entered orders concerning,
inter alia, the assignment of police personnel to South
Boston High School and other schools; ‘‘safe areas’’
around schools and bus routes; persons entitled to en-
ter school and racial epithets. By an order entered
on October 4, 1974, and in subsequent orders, the court
provided for the creation of parent and student councils.
The student assignment process set forth in the Phase Two
Plan provides initially for choices of school. The Plan also
provides for university and business involvement to enrich
educational programs. The Court has directed actions to
upgrade the physical plant at South Boston High School.
For months, large numbers of police have been stationed
inside and outside of South Boston High School. The
affidavits of black students filed with this motion demon-
strate that these actions have not produced a viable non-
discriminatory educational program. (See Attachments,
pp. 1-56) Black students continue to be subject to assault,
and offensive, humiliating and discriminatory treatment.
(13) Asa result of the conduct described in this motion,
black students (and white students) assigned to South Bos-
ton High School have lost many days of education.
(14) The assignment of school system staff (adminis-
trators, teachers, aides, custodians, cafeteria personnel,
ete.) and police personnel to South Boston High School in
1974-75 and 1975-76 have contributed to the continued iden-
tification of South Boston High School as a ‘‘ white school.’’
(See Attachments, pp. 84-89)
12
(15) Considering the implementation of the Phase One
and Phase Two desegregation plans as a whole, the prob-
lems experienced at South Boston High School have been
unique in their duration and intensity.
(16) The problems experienced at South Boston High
School in 1974-75 and 1975-76 are to a substantial degree
a consequence of the school’s location in South Boston as
opposed to a ‘‘neutral area”’ (i.e., an area not so intensely
associated with either the white or black community).
(Attachments, pp. 7, 9, 23, 37)
(17) In recent years the local school and mayoral de-
defendants have frequently obtained, and converted to
school use, facilities originally designed for other purposes.
Examples include Temporary Madison Park, the L Street
(Bathhouse) Annex, and the Haley and Hernandez Schools.
Respectfully submitted,
Rosert Pressman, Eric E. Van Loon
(Center for Law and Education)
Rupo.ien F. Pierce
(Keating, Peretta & Pierce)
Laurence 8S. Forpuam,
J. Harotp FLannery,
(Foley, Hoag & Eliot)
Joun B. Levussporr
(Boston University Law School) ; and
NATHANIEL R. Jones, (N.A.A.C.P.)
Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138
(s) Ropert Pressman
Rosert PressMAN
(s) Eric FE. Vaw Loon
Eric E. Van Loon
Center for Law and Education
Harvard University—Larsen Hall
‘Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138
Dated: November 17, 1975
erm. at ene A OI
ee ee ee ee
=
13
Unrrep Srates District Court
District or MASSACHUSETTS
Civil Action No. 72-911-G
TaLLuLAH Moroan Er At.,
PLAINTIFFS,
v.
Jonn J. Kerrican Er At.,
DEFENDANTS.
NOTICE OF HEARING AND PROCEDURAL ORDERS
November 19, 1975
Garrity, J. Plaintiffs’ motion for further relief concern-
ing South Boston High School will be heard November 21,
1975 at 10:00 A.M. in the John W. McCormack Federal
Building, Boston, Massachusetts. As provided by Rule
43(e), Fed. R. Civ. P., the matter will be heard on affidavits
presented by the respective parties, except that the court
may at the hearing direct that certain affiants and other
persons whose attendance is ordered herein give oral
testimony.
The defendants Boston School Committee and Superin-
tendent of Schools are ordered to procure the attendance
at said heaiing of tke following persons: John J. Kelly,
Deputy Superintendent; Joseph M. McDonough, District
Superintendent of Community District 6; William J. Reid,
Headmaster of South Boston High School; Harold Goor-
vich, Assistant Headmaster; and the following teachers at
South Boston High School: James Sealese, Arthur Per-
digao, Mr. Hamann of Room 208 and Ms. Allen of Room
218; and also an officer or representative(s) of the faculty
senate at South Boston High School who is able to explain
the circumstances and grounds of the vote of the faculty
senate on or about October 16, 1975 by a vote of 26 to 24
not to cooperate with the mediating board constituted by
14
the Citywide Coordinating Council on October 9, 1975.
It is further ordered that defendant Marion J. Fahey,
Superintendent of Schools, attend in person.
Plaintiffs are ordered to procure the attendance at said
hearing of South Boston High School students Nos. 1, 2,
3 and 7'; and other affiants whose presence is requested
hy designated code number by counsel for the school com-
mittee and superintendent by 4:00 P.M. on November 20
for the specific purpose of cross-examining said students
as to the subject matter of their affidavits. If plaintiffs
plan to offer the oral testimony of other affiants, plaintiffs’
counsel shall notify counsel for the school committee and
superintendent by 4:00 P.M. on November 20.
The defendants school committee and superintendent are
further ordered to file by or before 9:00 A.M. on November
21, 1975, and to serve copies on counsel of record previous
to the commencement of the hearing on November 21, a
complete description of all persons currently attending
South Boston High School in any capacity, using for this
purpose attendance on Tuesday, November 18, 1975. This
description shall present as complete a picture as possible
in words, of every aspect of the personnel. It shall include
the following information:
(a) Students —the grade and racial classification
(white, black and other minority) by total num-
bers, of the 540 students who attended on Novem-
ber 18, 1975, and a similar breakdown by grade
and race of students enrolled at South Boston
High School? as of that date (which totaled 891
as of October 17, 1975).
(b) With respect to each faculty member assigned to
South Boston High School, name, residence in-
1 A separate impounding order as to the identities of the student
affiants was entered yesterday.
2 All references to South Boston High School in this paragraph
refer to the main high school building only. |
Ae ee ee PNR
15
cluding street address, racial classification (white,
black or other minority), course(s) taught, and
year when first assigned to South Boston High
School.
(c) Similar information with respect to every mem-
ber of the administrative staff at South Boston
High School, including name, residence including
street address, racial classification, position, and
year when service at South Boston High School
began, this information to be furnished with re-
spect to all persons regularly employed at the
school including guidance counsellors, office per-
sonnel, nurses and administrative aides.
(d) A list of persons other than those described in the
three previous subparagraphs who have been fur-
nished ID ecards for the purpose of admitting them
to the school during school hours, showing where
possible the name, residence including street ad-
dress, and racial classification of each such person.
It is further ordered that a similar complete description
be filed with respect to all persons currently attending the
L, Street Annex of the South Boston High School in any
capacity, using for this purpose attendance on November
18. The same information as called for in subparagraphs
(a)-(d) of the previous paragraph shall also be filed and
served by the times stated in the previous paragraph.
It is noted that on November 18, 221 students attended
L Street Annex and that the enrollment there as of October
17 was 343.
Defendant Superintendent Fahey is also directed to file
and serve by the times stated in the previous paragraph
a statement of the names and positions of any separate
task force established by her to deal with problems at
South Boston High School, and the date when such task
force was established.
16
The defendant Mayor of the City of Boston is ordered
to file and serve by the times above stated a statement
describing state police personnel currently stationed in-
side South Boston High School during school hours, using
the situation on November 18 for this purpose. This state-
ment shall divide the police into two residential categories,
namely, residents of Boston and residents outside Boston,
and shall show by total numbers the number of white, black
and other minority police officers in each of the two cate-
gories. The statement shall also give the same residential
and racial information separately with respect to any super-
visory state police officers stationed inside the school; and
similarly with respect to any City of Boston or Metropoli-
tan District Commission police and their supervisory offi-
cers, if any, stationed inside the high school. A separate
statement similarly broken down and containing the same
types of information shall be filed for the high school’s
L Street Annex.
(s) W. Arruur Garrity, JR.
United States District Judge
Unitep Strares District Court
District oF MASSACHUSETTS
[Title omitted in printing]
DEFENDANT SCHOOL COMMITTEE’S OBJECTION
TO NOTICE OF HEARING AND PROCEDURAL
ORDERS AND MOTION FOR CONTINUANCE
The defendant School Committee hereby objects to the
provisions of the Notice of Hearing and Procedural Orders
entered November 19, 1975, and moves the Court to con-
tinue for thirty (30) days the hearing scheduled for Novem-
ber 21, 1975. In support hereof, the defendant School
Committee assigns the following grounds:
ee eee ee
17
1. The shot-gun approach of the Notice of Hearing
and Procedural Orders (hereafter Notice) denies the de-
fendant School Committee of a fair trial on the issues.
Counsel for the School Committee did not receive a copy
of the Notice, setting the hearing for 10:00 a.m., November
21, 1975, until approximately 4:30 p.m. on November 19,
1975.
The Superintendent and eight School Department em-
ployees are ordered to appear at this hearing, yet no
adequate opportunity is given counsel to confer with these
individuals. The defendant School Committee is given one
working day in which to compile a ‘‘complete description
of all persons currently attending South Boston High
School in any capacity ... [which] description shall present
as complete a picture as possible in words, of every aspect
of the personnel.’’
2. The unconscionably short period of time between the
Notice and the hearing denies the defendant School Com-
mittee of adequate representation of counsel. It is incon-
ceivable that the defendant School Committee and its
counsel should be expected to be prepared to rebut the
allegations contained in anonymous affidavits and doeu-
ments submitted with the plaintiffs’ Motion for Further
Relief Concerning South Boston High School, which Mo-
tion, with attachments, was not served on counsel for the
defendant School Committee until Tuesday, November 138,
1975. Fundamental fairness mandates something more
than a day’s notice before a party must defend against
the allegations of unknown affiants.
3. The Notice, moreover, is preferentially prejudicial
to plaintiffs. There are many other matters of pressing
importance before the Court in this case, yet the plaintiffs
request and are granted an urgent evidentiary hearing on
the closing of South Boston High School. The allegations
of urgency are seen as hypocritical and unfounded when
18
it is remembered that while the plaintiffs have for some
time been intending to seek the school’s closing, they have
not deemed it advisable until November 18, 1975, to en-
lighten the Court or the parties as to the specifies of their
complaints.
4. The Notice is objectionable for the further reason
that it requires the defendant School Committee to reveal
the names and addresses of all teachers and other staff at
South Boston High School, some of whom are potential
witnesses at the hearing. These individuals are no less
subject to possible harassment and intimidation than are
plaintiffs’ anonymous affiants.
Indeed, the prejudicial and preferential nature of the
Notice is manifested by the treatment accorded plaintiffs’
affiants, whose identity the Court insists on maintaining a
iffvstery while at the same time protecting them from
cross-examination by Rule 43(e).
In sum, the defendant School Committee vehemently
objects to the provisions of the Notice of Hearing and Pro-
cedural Orders and, relying on the fundamental dictates
of due process, requests at least a thirty-day continuance
in this matter.
By its attorneys,
DiMento & SULLIVAN
(s) James J. SuLLIVAN, JR.
James J. SuLLIVAN, JR.
100 State Street
Boston, Massachusetts 02109
523-5253
November 20, 1975
oC At ee 7 Ne as ta AE
— oe
;
’
19
Unitep States District Court
District oF MASSACHUSETTS
STENOGRAPHIC TRANSCRIPT OF PROCEEDINGS
December 9, 1975
[69] Afternoon Session
(The hearing was resumed at 2:20 o’clock p.m.)
The Court: Well, I apologize for being late.
The Court would prefer always to file a written memo
accompanying decisions, but sometimes it is not feasible,
and this chances to be one of those situations. You will re-
call, for example, that I put out the desegregation plan in
May and then put out the supporting memo in June.
This opinion or memo today will not cover every aspect of
the hearings that we had on the plaintiffs’ motion. That
is, there are some matters which will not be covered, and I
will get them into some written order, I expect before
the end of the week. One illustration would be the proposal
that met with considerable agreement, that the media be
admitted to the schools. That is a proposal that will be acted
on, and very probably favorably but with a variety of
conditions, and I have not had time, frankly, to think
through the conditions. That is just one example of some
things that will be added.
Today I am anxious to get the orders out, and certain
parts of the findings of fact will be filed subsequently,
and I hope, again, before the week is out, and some of
these written orders will also be filed, as I will explain,
but there are two reasons why I want to get this matter
decided. Number one is because it is of such importance,
and number two, [70] because I get so many inquiries
from people who are anxius to learn the Court’s rulings.
Turning, then, to the particular motion of the plain-
tiffs that we had the hearings on, the Court’s first finding,
20
set of findings, is that, generally speaking, the plaintiffs
proved the allegations in their motion. As we have seen at
so many different times in this and other cases, there are
two parts to any court finding: first, what was proved, and
secondly, what should be done about it; the difference
technically between remedy and liability.
Turning to the motion — and that I have to do, and I
would ask perhaps counsel if they have a copy of the
motion to turn to it — the Court has already ruled on many
parts of the motion. It it denied, the motion that the
individual teachers be added as defendants, and denied,
motions that they be added as parties.
With respect to the motion Paragraph E that the com-
mittee be ordered to file a plan for supervising attendance
and causing people to investigate persons inducing truancy
by promoting boycotts, I reserve judgment on that, and
will cover that at a later date.
With respect to the factual allegations in the motion,
without reading every finding that the Court makes, I
want to make these findings by reference to the motion,
and I find that the plaintiffs have proved by a clear
preponderance of [71] the evidence the following allega-
tions in their motion:
Paragraph 1 in its entirety.
Paragraph 2 is subdivided into A, B, C, D, et cetera,
subparagraphs. In 2-A, the first sentence I find is a fact,
but strike the word ‘‘abuse.’? That shoud be stricken. In
a minute I will explain that I do not make findings with
respect to the allegations pertaining to the individuals
Mr. Scealese and Mr. Perdigao except in one particular
aspect, and I will explain the basis for that ruling.
Turning to Paragraph D, sub-D, the Court so finds.
Subparagraph E, the Court so finds, with one qualifica-
tion. The word ‘‘daily”’’ is stricken in the third line of that
21
subparagraph where it says ‘‘daily verbal abuse.’’ I find
they were subjected to verbal abuse, but not daily.
Subparagraph IF is changed in so many respects in my
finding, and I am going to read it as found. It is a sub-
stantial departure from the proposal. The finding is as
follows:
Black students in South Boston High School have been
subjected to physical attacks by groups of white students.
One or two black students have sometimes been attacked
by a much larger group of white students without provo-
cation. School and police authorities have detained and
suspended all the black students involved in the incident,
but only one or two white students. Black students have
sometimes been [72] disciplined for defending themselves
from an unprovoked attack, while numbers of the white
attackers escape any disciplinary measures.
The difference in the Court’s finding and in the pro-
posal is that the proposed finding is in terms of these
things happened frequently, and more often than not,
this happened. I find that these things happened, but not
frequently and not on any regular basis.
The next finding is Subparagraph H.
Then turning to Paragraph 3, the Court adopts that as
a finding but strikes from the proposal the second sentence
in that subparagraph. That is the sentence which says
that racial animosity and discrimination continues to in-
tensify rather than lessen. That sentence in the paragraph
the Court strikes, because I think that was not shown, and
I do not believe that that is the situation.
Paragraph 4 the Court finds as submitted; 5; 6, that
means 6-A, 6-B, C, D.
Turning to Paragraph 7, the Court so finds; 8; 9; 10; 11,
except that the Court strikes the opening six words, or
seven words, ‘‘On information and belief, plaintiffs allege
that.’’ The Court finds, as submitted, that the defendants
22
School Committee members and superintendent have not
acted against persons urging truancy. That is a fact.
Paragraph 12 is so found, except in the very last [73]
sentence it is changed to read, ‘‘ Black students have been
subject to assaults,’’ et cetera, and the words ‘‘continue to
be’’ are replaced.
Paragraph 13 as drafted, and the same with 14, 15, 16
and 17.
Turning to the aspect that, with one exception, the Court
makes no findings either way on, the allegations against
Messrs. Sealese and Perdigao, with one exception, to be
explained in a minute, the Court already denied summarily,
and the reasons are these: The Court already denied
summarily the only substantive relief sought against those
individuals. In closing argument, the plaintiff, in the light
of that, asked that the Court make declaratory statements
about their individual liability, but courts do not make
declaratory statements which are unnecessary to their
decisions.
As the Court endeavored to explain several times dur-
ing the course of the hearing. the purpose of the hearings,
in the Court’s mind, was not to fix liability on any par-
ticular individuals; rather, to determine larger issues, spe-
cifically, issues connected with whether the desegregation
plan promulgated by the Court is being implemented, is
it being carried out at South Boston High School.
Finally, the individuals Messrs. Sealese and Perdigao
were not parties to the case, to the motion. The Court
denied the plaintiffs’ motion to have them added as
parties, [74] and there was no action taken to add them as
parties. I am aware also that there is litigation pending
elsewhere with respect to at least one of the individuals,
and the Court believes that if it were to make findings of
fact on those matters, it might very well, without sufficient
a ae
—-- a a ae a
23
foundation, affect the course of pending litigation in other
courts.
The exception to my conclusion is that no findings should
be made either way with respect to the Scalese and Per-
digao allegations has to do with a situation and not an
incident. The Court will not make findings on incidents,
but rather on a situation. That has to do with the fact that
the Court does find that the South Boston High School
football team was kept segregated by Coach Perdigao,
and in order to explain the basis of that finding and con-
clusion, because it has other consequences, which I will
come to in a few moments, I owe to the parties and to
Coach Perdigao a statement ef the basis of the Court’s
conclusion.
The Court’s original order imposed an affirmative
obligation on the School Committee and the School Depart-
ment to eliminate all consequences and vestiges of segrega-
tion previousy practiced. I will omit references to citations
which are in the typewritten draft from which I am
reading. The Court’s desegregation plan imposed a more
specific obligation to conduct extracurricular programs
on a desegregated basis, and that is here in the plan, and
there [75] is no need to pause to state the page reference.
It is Page 3. Thus, as football coach, Coach Perdigao was
under a more specific obligation to take affirmative action
to implement program desegregation more than some other
persons in different situations. The evidence adduced at
the hearing in my view clearly showed that Coach Perdigao
failed to fulfill his obligation to take affirmative action to
desegregate the football team and to conduct himself in a
nondiscriminatory fashion.
South Boston High had no football team during the
1974-75 school year. Thus, it was necessary to recruit an
almost entirely new team. The first practice was scheduled
for August 28th. Dr. Reid phoned Mr. Perdigao on or
24
about August 2nd and offered him the position of head
coach after telling him the main concern would be to have
an integrated team. Mr. Perdigao accepted, and set about
recruiting a team, placing a notice in the South Boston
community newspaper, which apparently succeeded in at-
tracting sufficient white players for the first practice.
A few days before the first practice, Coach Perdigao
decided to hold physical examinations for black players at
a medical center in a predominantly black neighborhood,
and to place a notice in the black community newspaper.
That notice did not appear before the first day of practice,
and there was no evidence adduced at the hearings that it
ever did [76] appear. Coach Perdigao went to the medical
center, At the planned time, no black students showed up.
During the first week of school, orientation assemblies
were held for all students at South Boston High School.
Mr. Perdigao spoke at the assemblies and expressed in-
terest in having more students try out for football. At the
close of each assembly, he spoke with students who were
interested in football, including several black students. At
least two black students, Marcus Anderson and Michael
Watson, returned completed athletic cards with a doctor’s
and a parent’s signature, but they did not join the team at
that time.
Several weeks later, after the black students’ protest on
October 8th, five blacks and several whites did join the
football team as new recruits, on or about October 16th.
Mr. Perdigao did treat all new recruits, black and white,
quite alike. The new recruits had to practice for five days
without uniforms and for five days with uniforms before
they could play in a game. Thus, none of them played in
the first game thereafter against Dorchester High on Octo-
ber 23rd.
On that day, the black recruits sat in the stands without
uniforms. At the conclusion of the game, a racial fracas
satel Noten Te
wpe aes
eee.
29
broke out. I do not make any findings with respect to the
allegations about what Mr. Perdigao may or may not have
said with respect to white students getting back on the bus
when he was endeavoring to get them back into the bus and
away from the [77] melee that was in progress in the center
of the field. Even if he said what the plaintiffs alleged
him to have said, it was the type of a single statement, it is
an incident, in my view, it is not a situation, and the Court
will not make findings with respect to particular incidents.
It could very well be that the motive of Mr. Perdigao, had
he told the white students to do what the plaintiffs allege
he did, was simply to get them back into the bus and out
of the way, to protect them and everyone else, so the Court
makes no finding with respect to that matter, for the
reason that it is not a hearing here to deternune the indi-
vidual liability of any particular person.
I turn now to the events of the following day, October
24th, when there was a major confrontation of near riot
dimensions between black and white students at South
Boston High School at the commencement of school. Mr.
Perdigao stayed out of school. On Saturday he informed
the newly appointed black coach and the black recruits that
all five black recruits were off the team. Mr. Perdigao said
that he removed two black recruits for throwing equipment
and two for smoking. Yet he did not learn that one of the
black recruits had been smoking until the following Mon-
day. Thus, for that recruit and one other, Marcus Anderson,
Coach Perdigao had only what he called ‘‘safety reasons’’
for removing the black players from the team.
[78] This type of justification does not suffice for the
different treatment which was afforded those black stu-
dents. Mr. Perdigao was under an affirmative obligation
to conduct the football program on a desegregated basis,
and in the Court’s opinion and finding, Mr. Perdigao failed
to fulfill that obligation. He did not recruit blacks until
26
after the first week of practice, thus placing them at an
initial disadvantage and indicating to them that they really
were not wanted. When blacks showed an interest in join-
ing the team, he did not follow up by encouraging them and
seeking them out. Instead, as he testified, he felt it was
their own choice and that he had no responsibility of his
own to see whether or not they came out for the team. When
blacks finally did join the team, he removed them on the
first available pretext. His action in doing so was dis-
criminatory. The record of Mr. Perdigao’s direction of the
football team’s program at South Boston High School
failed to meet the requirements of the Court’s order.
That concludes the findings on that aspect of the matter.
In addition, the plaintiffs’ evidence plus two visits by
the Court to South Boston High School provided a clear
answer in my mind to the question whether or not the
Court’s plan is being implemented at South Boston High
School, and the conclusion that at least to me is very
clear and serious is not by a long shot. The details of the
Court’s finding [79] that the plan is not being implemented
or even being close to being implemented at South Boston
High School will be filed in a memorandum of separate
findings on that point, which I am unable to address com-
prehensively at this time. I will say only one thing along
those lines and will elaborate in written form.
The Court did return to South Boston for a second
time, and, as was reported, a reason was so that I could take
up where I had left off on the first visit, which I had to cut
short, but there was an additional reason. I felt that I
should return because I could not really believe what I saw
there on my first visit and I wanted to go back to see
whether my initial conclusions and observations were, at
least to the best of my ability, accurate.
So, with respect to the basic allegations of the plaintiffs
in their motion, the Court finds and concludes that the
os
Ae Bate ere ante
at EUd> thelr dite phents
27
plaintiffs did prove the number one allegation in their
motion, that the black students at South Boston High
School are not receiving the peaceful desegregated educa-
tion to which they are entitled under the Fourteenth
Amendment to the Constitution of the United States; and
secondly, and equally important in this present context, the
Court’s desegregation plan is not being carried out at
South Boston High School and the Court proposes to make
a variety of orders to see to it that it is.
[80] What should the remedy be? The plaintiffs’ pro-
posal is that the high school should be closed and relocated,
or that the student body, after the school is closed, should
be dispersed to other schools, and the court denies that
motion in that regard. The remedy will not be the closing
of the South Boston High School, and the reasons, and there
are many, follow, or some of them follow.
The first and principal reason for not closing the high
school is that the racial tensions and educational defic-
iencies at South Boston High School are, in my opinion,
more readily curable by other measures than by closing
the school, and those measures will be ordered today and
made more specific by written orders which I will issue be-
fore the end of the week. Basically, as I will develop in a
moment, the South Boston High School is not going to be
run by the School Committee, the South Boston High
School is going to be run by the Court under receivership
until further order.
The other reason for keeping South Boston High School
open is that from what I saw and what I heard in testimony
and what I believe since getting involved in this picture
over a year and a half ago, South Boston High School can
be the best high school in the entire city, in my opinion.
The combination of Southie pride and Roxbury courage,
when it is made to work and when it is put to constructive
use, can make this school the best high school in the City
28
of Boston. I am [81] not going to develop, because it is
unnecessary to develop, all of the assets that are waiting
to be built upon in South Boston High School.
Think of the children who are going there right now.
To a great extent, both white and black are attending that
school under enormous difficulty and against enormous
pressure from people whom they know in their own com-
munities, so right at the beginning, you have the fact that
the students want an education badly enough to undertake
enormous personal sacrifice in order to get an education.
Given half a chance, South Boston High School I do believe
ean he a great school, and one that students of all races
and backgrounds will attend with a vitality and purpose
that is missing there presently.
In that respect, I simply subscribe to the report of the
Mediating Board, which I distributed to counsel at the be-
ginning of the hearing and was dated November 18th, and
this is the CCC Mediating Board, which stated that the
Board remained firm in its conviction that the lessening
of racial tensions and the provision of quality education
in a secure environment is still possible at the South Bos-
ton High School. I would change the words ‘‘is still pos-
sible’? to the words ‘‘will oceur.’’ It is going to happen
there, and the expectation of the Mediating Board and
others who have faith and hope in that school and other
schools is going to be fulfilled. _
[82] I will divert for a moment to address specifically
the suggestion and argument; which was perhaps not
originated but which appeared in the list of white students’
demands in the opening paragraph, and then counsel picked
it up at the hearing before me, sought to make something
of this allegation, and alleged ‘‘conscious effort of the black
community and the black students to create incidents to
provoke the closing of South Boston High School,’’ and
that was the innuendo of counsel cross examining some of
« oe etn Hi aka rte: ertten BMS AAC BA SG tT + eR tn OIL ay A a ‘
29
these black students, that these allegations were the re-
sult of a sinister move by the black community to close
the high school.
My finding and conclusion and determination on that
question is that there was not a scintilla of evidence pre-
sented before me to back up any such litigation. What
should the black community do when the students come
back with these tales of intimidation and hostility in the
schools to which they are being sent? Did the black parents
and leaders of the black community want the school to be
closed? Absolutely yes. Of course they wanted and have
moved and have come into Court to seek that the school be
closed, but that thought is not a novel thought with the
black community. Didn’t the mayor himself and the Com-
missioner of Police himself urge that the school be closed?
Mr. Cunningham, President of the Faculty Senate, on the
witness stand said that in his opinion, the situation was
deteriorating there and it was not unlike [83] the situation
that built up previous to the tragic Michael Faith stabbing
a year ago last October.
So I cannot imagine that, given the background of thirgs
that happened last year and this year at that high school,
there would not be a sensible and perfectly logical and
understandable petition on the part of some members of
the black community, especially the parents of those young-
sters, to have the place closed so that the children would
not have to attend school there, but in a more friendly
atmosphere, but that is quite different from saying that .
there were false stories and false reports manufactured in
order to do injury to the people of South Boston.
I do not see Mr. Portnoy here, but he represented the in-
dividual teachers who were named, and he himself stated
that he did not consider that there was any recent fabrica-
tion of allegations by the black pupils who took the witness
stand, and he explicitly disavowed the innuendos that crept
30
into the examination of those black students and the specific
argument by School Committee counsel that they— I do not
want to be mistaken. He said in response to my question
that he would leave that up to Mr. Portnoy, but the Court
finds, as conceded by capable counsel, Mr. Portnoy, that
there was no recent fabrication of these stories. They were
told in good faith. That does not mean that every word
that was stated was true, but there was community con-
spiracy on the part of the black [84] community to
deprive South Boston of its closest and properly called
neighborhood high school.
The reason basically why the school is not being closed
is because the Court is extremely confident that the situa-
tion can be turned around there, and quickly. It has already
been demonstrated that the black pupils and white pupils
alike can go to and from school with safety, and I cannot
conceive of the Court and its agents and the Schoo] Depart-
ment and its agents being unable to make the school as safe
inside as it is going to and from and to harness the energies
of these young pupils productively.
What, then is the Court’s order? In two respects — I
have mentioned receivership first, and I will come to that
in a minute, but there are two important orders which,
while not receiverships, have some of the characteristics of
receiverships, and I will turn to them. First I will refer to
the Department of School Security Services, about which
I inquired this morning. This is the impounded filing by
Miss Fahey on the 26th of November, which I referred to
this morning and asked Mr. Tierney, and I will make it
more specific, please, by Thursday if you can, to indicate
what portions should be continued to be impounded and
what not. But the Court hereby schedules a hearing on
Friday of this week, that is, the 12th of December, at ten
o’clock, to hear the parties with respect te proposals for
modifications or changes or amplifications in [85] this pian.
- ee ee ee Oe ee ee ree
és is ee ey ee
31
Mr. Tierney this morning said that perhaps the School
Committee would consider this plan, which is generally
what has been needed all along, what the Court has been
waiting for all along, and what School Department officials
have been endeavoring to get for weeks, if not morths or
longer, but vhich we have not yet received, and the Court,
after hearing whether there should be modification in this
plan, is going to order it into effect.
The Office of School Security Services, which is set up
in this plan, would deliver the kind of programatie and
other support to schools like South Boston and other schools
where the situation could be improved, and the operations
of this department, which is set up in detail in this plan,
are needed desperately at South Boston High School and
elsewhere. The department will be headed by a special as-
sistant to Miss Fahey, and under him or her there will be
three coordinators: Coordinator of Safety Programs, of
Pupil Personnel Safety, of Investigation, Disciplinary
Procedures. Then there are teams and personnel under
them.
This is the sort of program that is needed and that can
help immeasurably, but where has it been? For weeks and
weeks, I estimate at least two months, this need has been
discussed in a series of hearings in open court, and as far
as the Court is convinced, when it comes to action by the
School [86] Committee as distinguished from the members
of the School Department, the Curt might just as well have
been talking to the wind. It is impossible to get action in sup-
port of the—I do not want ti overstate it. In this respect, it
has been impossible for the Court to get action from the
Boston School Committee.
Looking back in my notes here, my notes of a hearing on
October 2nd, here is a group, a search committee, that was
going to find someone to head up this department, and I
wonder what happened to these people. It was Peter Blau-
32
velt, from Prince George’s County; Alex Villio, from Ak-
ron, Ohio. Those are my notes. Joseph , Former
Commissioner McNamara; a man named Sidney Cooper,
from New York. The target date for selection of a person
to head up and organize this type of a department was the
first of November.
We went from Mr. Walsh in the summertime, who him-
self, together with Mr. Leftwich and others, and his was
a coordinating holdover capacity, to the Cou ’s insistence
that somebody be put in charge and get this sort of support
and program operating, and it was wished upon Mr. Doher-
ty, who had as much as he could handle, and who was not
by background and training able to take hold of an opera-
tion such as this, and finally the Court had to put it tem-
porarily in the hands of Mr. Kelly, the Deputy Superinten-
dent.
The Court can wait no longer and will wait no longer. [87]
The hearing on Friday will be to consider the proposals of
the parties with respect to this plan. There may be modifi-
cations. I do not suppose it is proposed as being the perfect
plan. I will hear suggestions for modification, expansion, or
whatever, and then will order it to be put into effect with-
out the participation of the Boston Schoo] Committee, In
other words, the powers of the Boston Schoo] Committee
are being superseded, they are being bypassed in this im-
portant respect. That plan will be ordered into effect by
the Court.
TLe persons to be appointed will be exclusively within
the province of Miss Fahey, and I hope it will not redound
to her disadvantage for me to state on record that the
Court has developed an enormous respect and confidence
in Miss Fahey over the last weeks and months. This is an
excellent plan, and if it can be put into effect, it will help
tremendously at South Boston High School and elsewhere.
Ah, Ret 0 ite Sey Se SE rete et ain = SO et tt SE De imma 6 ha on eS 8m Ot
ee ee eee
:
33
So that is the program with respect to the Department
of School Security Services. We will have a hearing, I will
hear all sorts of objections, and then will come out with an
order, but the gist of the order is what I have stated. There
will be a special assistant to Miss Fahey, as proposed in
this plan, and the School Committee will be enjoined from
interfering with the establishment of this department and
will be ordered to cooperate in that respect.
Similarly, we need action of a like nature with respect
[88] to the Office of Implementation, which has been the
orphan and stepchild of the School Committee in its efforts
to delay implementation of the Court’s plan. The Office
of Implementation has been, despite the best efforts of
good people, well, a failure, in the sense of even approach-
ing its potential. I certainly do not want to tak about the
magnificent work by Mr. Lambert, by Mrs. Byard, and
other members, particular members, aud Mr. Donahue too.
| am not talking about the people. I am talking about the
way it has been throttled by the School Committee, which
has refused to appropriate funds for it, which has refused
to appoint people to it, and on a previous occasion, talking
about the School Committee, | compared the situation to a
legislative body trumpeting its devotion to a particular
cause but denying any funds to the organization that would
carry forth the program proclaimed.
When it comes to action, it is funding and it is staffing
that is required, and in this situation, the Office of Imple-
mentation has, in my opinion — I think the best phrase
is the one that became current a year or so ago — it has
been left slowly twisting in the wind. That is what has
happened to the Office of Implementation here, and that
is going to stop. We are having a similar office, and the
Court will be making orders that that office is to be formu-
lated by Miss Fahey, and it is to be done without participa-
34
tion by the School Committee, whose course of conduct in
these [89] proceedings is going to be changed.
I need, for the purposes of the record and my finding, to
make some reference to the background of this office and
what it is that I am talking about and why is it that I am
so obviously concerned. At the beginning, as with so many
other aspects of this case, is the plan. The plan provided,
at Page 102, as follows, and I quote: ‘‘The School Depart-
ment shall develop and file on or before May 23, 1975 a
detailed plan of activities, responsibilities, and internal
scheduling for the implementation of the plan ordered by
the Court, the available time period similar to that filed in
Section VII of the plan filed by the School Committee it-
self on January 27.’’ That filing came in, and the copy I
have here, but I believe that the filing that was made pre-
viously was June 6th.
The vehicle for implementing the Court’s plan was sub-
mitted by the School Committee pursuant to court order,
and the document was entitled Implementation Process and
Schedule for Student Desegregation, and the implementa-
tion process described 14 subdivisions, 14 types of agencies
within the School Department which would take action,
and they were given letters, capital letters, for the com-
ponents of this plan, 14 components, Parts B to O.
After an introductory paragraph, it stated at the bottom,
and now we are on Page 14 of the 14 components which
were detailed in this document, ‘‘ All are essential and [90]
interlocking. However, the first component, B, relates to
the actual mechanism for school system implementation
supervision and coordination, and therefore this component
has prime significance.”’
You get to the responsibility for carrying out the plan.
It lists what is called, I quote, ‘‘the chain of command,’’ and
you have first the School Committee; second, the superin-
tendent; and then comes the Office of Implementation, and
35
it is set out, Director, Implementation Coordinator, Staff,
Assistant for this and that; Assistant for this and that; so
forth; liaison; representative of the schools, and so forth.
That is the importance which the School Committee it-
self attached to this office, and the Court relied on this, to
its regret, because to this day there has net been a perm-
anent appointment to the Office of Implementation. To
this day there has not, despite a number of requests by the
Court, been any funding of that office. Oh, of course, it is
possible for the office to operate in a way; it is possible
for Mr. Donahue to go over to one of his assistant directors,
to go over and take advantage of the generosity of the
superintendent or assistant superintendent in the matter
of supplying pencils and paper and supplies, or to get an
automobile to make an essential trip to some part of the
city, something of that nature, but the course of conduct
of the School Committee has been to reject on more than
one occasion, and [91] the most recent occasion was within
ten days, any move to give that office the permanent ap-
pointments, the salaries, the staffing necessary to have it
do more than go through the motions of implementing the
order of the Court.
Why, people in that office have not been paid for over-
time that they spent at Court order last summer. The only
action taken by the School Committee was to transfer peo-
ple from their other jobs without loss of salary to the Office
of Implementation, and that is the vote I referred to this
morning. It was taken August 20, 1975. This was Mr. Leary.
He has assigned the following named teachers without
change of rank or salary to the Office of Implementation,
subject to the approval of the Schoo] Committee, and that
is the last that has been heard of the School Committee on
that one.
Now, the plan, here is the procedure on that. And let me
say that this office is not going to be buried in the office of
36
any of the deputy or associate superintendents, the deputy
superintendent or the associate superintendent, but it is
gceing to be established by court order, again, without the
participation of the Boston School Committee at a level
parallel to the level of the Department of School Security
Services, which is incorporated in the November 26th filing
by Mrs. Fahey, and the reorganization plan that was voted
on December 5th, and I will come to more about that in a
minute, will have to be changed in order to create— [92]
perhaps it will be called the Department of Implementation.
One of the difficulties in implementing this desegregation
plan that has sort of grown in my realization with the pas-
sage of the weeks and months is that the Court’s order
has been directed to the School Department, and there
really is no such thing as the School Department. You
know, you look in the telephone book, and you cannot find
anything under the School Department. It,is people. And
the Court, perhaps, mistakenly, relied upon the School Com-
mittee to aid its agents, principaliy Miss Fahey, but a lot
of other people, hundreds of people working with her and
under her, to carry out that plan of implementation, but it
has not been done, and one of the fruits of this policy pur-
sued by School Committee in my opinion has been the situa-
tion down in South Boston High School. It could have been
avoided, and it can be corrected, and will be.
The Office or Department of Implementation is by court
order going to have funds at its disposal, funds with which
to do things, such as to employ statisticians or other types
of— I mention statisticians. There are so many other types
of specialists who are needed to carry out a desegregation
plan. It will have authority to appoint personnel necessary
to carry out the provisions of the plan. I am not talking
now about teachers, | am talking about special persons and
things needed.
37
[93] Here is the procedural way that we will go about it.
The Court will undertake to formulate and get ont to
counsel a draft order with respect to establishment of an
Office or Department of Implementation. It will be similar
in scope, although— Well, it will be the same general idea,
as far as description, table of organization and description
of the types of persons and their duties and so forth. It
probably will not be quite so good as this Department of
School Security Services, on which we will have the hearing
on Friday, but I will get to counsel as soon as possible, I
would hope by Friday, a draft order establishing or direct-
ing Miss Fahey to establish this Office or Department of
Implementation, and then I will invite the comments of
counsel.
The same procedure will be followed as I did with respect
to racial-ethnic councils. | drafted it, got it out to you
people, got your comments back before it went into effect,
and the same with other things we have done, such as ap-
pointment of the masters. Then after I hear your objec-
tions and after I hear proposals for suggestions, changes,
modifications, then and only then would | promulgate an
order, but I would hope to have a hearing on this subject
midweek next week, perhaps Wednesday or Thursday, the
17th or 18th, and I would hear objections and proposals
with respect to that.
I have mentioned the receivership of South Boston High
School, and I will develop that in a minute. In the [94]
promulgation and establishment by the superintendent of
these two offices, School Security Services and Implemen-
tation, the Court’s orders do strip the School Committee of
some of its powers with respect to the plan. I will state first
that this is being ordered to the minimum extent that the
Court feels is necessary if this desegregation plan is to be
implemented and if there is to be desegregation of the
schools. 1 recognize that in taking this course, I am depart-
38
ing from the recommendation of the Civil Rights Commis-
sion of the United States, which stated, at Page 64 of its
report:
‘*A partial receivership, for example, for desegregation
matters only, is inadvisable. In such a situation, School
Committee members would remain in a position from which
they could exercise a negative effect on desegregation ef-
forts. For example, School Department staff acting to
facilitate school desegregation would know that their ca-
reers were still in the hands of School Committee members
who oppose desegregation.’’ end of quote.
So there is, as I have said on several occasions, a matter
pending before this Court, which is to put the whole oper-
ation in receivership, but I do not want to do it, obviously,
except, in my view, if absolutely necessary. I think, to the
extent that | have already stated, in these three respects,
receivership of a single school, bypassing the School Com-
mittee in two critical aspects of the [95] implementation of
the plan, the Court has no alternative if this matter is ever
to be resolved. I just do not have the capacity, let alone the
time, to take up the problems in a whole series of schools
which develop and which could be nipped in the bud if the
peope at the top were interested in cooperating, and we will
simply hope that it works.
Now turning to the receivership of South Boston High
School, and the last is to be a freeze on appointments by
the lame duck Schoo] Committee, and I will get to that in a
minute, and they will be specifically enjoined from making
permanent appointments. The next permanent appoint-
ments that are going to be made will be made by the new
School Committee, not by the present one, but that comes
in a minute.
With respect to the receivership of South Boston High
School, I will, of course, file a written order on this. It is
all part of the package. Number one, it will include L Street,
39
so that it will be a receivership of both G Street and L
Street, meaning basically that that high school will be run
by the Court, not by the School Committee, until further
order. When that order will come, that is, when the receiver-
ship will terminate, I frankly have not thought out as yet,
and I have a number of alternatives in mind.
It may be until the end of the school year, it may be until
some lesser time, but the specifics of this order, and there
will be many specifics, will be filed, | hope and [96] expect,
before the end of the week, but the principal specific of
that order will be as of the end of 1975, the entire full
time academic administrative staff at South Boston High
School will be transferred to some other school. That means
not only Dr. Reid but also all full time assistant head-
masters at both G Street and L Street, that is, those whose
duties are altogether administrative; and also that Coach
Perdigao be transferred from South Boston High School;
provided that none of the personnel at that school whose
transfer will be ordered by the Court shall suffer any loss
in seniority or compensation; and the city defendants,
namely, the members of the School Committee and superin-
tendent, will be ordered to cooperate in placing these per-
sons in positions where they will suffer no loss in compen-
sation.
The next point I will try to make more earnestly and
clearly in my written memorandum on this subject, and I
will endeavor to state it emphatically and clearly. These
transfers will be ordered not because of any racial diserim-
ination which has been performed by any of the people
mentioned. I mean to include all of these persons, and es-
pecially Dr. Reid. The reasons for the transfer are not
that these good people and skillful people have been dis-
criminatory in the performance of their duties. The reason
is that the Court’s plan is not being implemented at South
40
Boston High School, and the Court intends to carry out its
responsibility to see to it [97] that it is implemented.
That facet of the Court’s ruling, lest it do an injustice
to the people who will be transferred, I will elaborate on
when I file the writing. It is a question of where the re-
sponsibility lies, and if the situation is in many respects
deficient, the burden of responsibility must be shifted.
This receivership, incidentally, although there will be
a confirmatory written order, will commence tomorrow,
namely, the 10th of December. The city defendants, that is,
the School Committee and the superintendent and the
mayor, and the state defendants, the Board of Education,
are ordered to cooperate with the receiver and to enable
him to carry out the orders of the Court. The receiver,
whom the Court will name in the order, is District Superin-
tendent Joseph McDonough. I will be in touch with Mr.
McDonough directly. I saw him, I might say parenthetic-
ally, not about a receivership, mind you, but I saw him and
discussed some matters with him on my way back from
South Boston High School on my second trip to the school
last week.
Finally, the freeze, or what I call the moratorium on
permanent appointments. This order is effective now, and
it is an injunction. The members of the School Committee
and their attorneys, agents, and employees are enjoined
individually and collectively from appointing or installing,
whether by transfer or by new appointment, any perm-
anent [98] appointment at the level of those positions
covered by the promotional rating system or to positions
shown in the superintendent’s reorganization plan ap-
proved by vote of the School Committee on December 3,
1975.
This morning Mr. Tierney stated that he thought that
there might be a meeting of the School Committee tomor-
row, Please be sure, Mr. Tierney— or, in order that the
i ee 2
41
record may be proper, I direct you to advise your clients
School Committee members of this injunction, which is ef-
fective now, although it will be put into written form as
soon as possible, and I expect before the end of the week,
their power is taken away from them not only with respect
to South Boston High School and not only with respect
to the establishment of the Office of Implementation or
Department of Implementation and Department of School
Security Services, but also with respect to their making
permanent appointments between now and the end of their
tenure as members of the Boston School Committee.
This injunction expires on January 6, 1976. It does not
apply to persons who will be— the people with whom I will
be deziing in endeavoring to have the Court’s desegregation
plan carried out.
The bases for the Court’s order that there be a mora-
torium on permanent appointments are as folows: It is
important, in my view, that the provisions of the plan [99]
which provide for specific community input into the selec-
tion of persons for permanent appointments be carried out
with respect to appointees to both positions covered in the
promotional rating systems and positions in the plan of
the superintendent which was approved on the 3rd of
December. I am not talking about campaigns before neigh-
borhood groups. I am not talking about procedures which
would overrule the discretion of Superintendent Fahey in
these matters. I am talking about an opportunity to get to
her for such consideration as she wishes to give it the ap-
praisal of prospective appointees to these positions.
A second reason is that the Court’s orders with respect
to the Office of Implementation and the Department of
School Security Services will probably call for certain
revisions in the table of organization, which was approved
by the School Committee by vote of December 3rd.
42
Permit me a brief diversion to say that this moratorium
and injunction against the School Committee members has
no reference to the establishment of a Department of
School Security Services or Department of Implementation,
because in those instances, the School Committee is out of
it. Those appointments are going to be made by Miss Fahey
in her discretion, but with respect to appointments other
than those, as to which the School Committee will have full
powers, such appointments are enjoined until the new
School Committee comes [100] into office.
Some of these acting administrators have been acting
for years and years, and there is no reason for precipitous
or hasty action by a lame duck School Committee to place
into critical positions persons who they perhaps feel are
committed to their outloook and viewpoint on a desegrega-
tion plan involving forced busing, which chances to be dia-
metrically opposed to the Court’s. Appointments to posi-
tions of principal, or, as we now call it, building admini-
strator, and these staff positions are absolutely crucial to
the implementation of the Court’s plan.
There is much more to a desegregation plan than just
bringing the students into a school. What goes on inside the
school is as important as what goes on in transporting the
pupils to and from school. There is a two-volume compila-
tion recently published on ‘‘The Courts, Social Science,
and School Desegregation,’’ and one of the articles is
entitled, How to make Desegregation Work: The Adapta-
tion of Schools to Their Newly Integrated Student Bodies,’’
written by Gary Orfield, O-r-f-i-e-l-d, of the Brookings In-
stitution, and I want to quote one small paragraph, be-
cause I think it is so important here, on what he calls the
central role of the principal, and I quote:
‘‘Report after report on desegregated schools mentions
the central role the principal plays in determining the [101]
school’s response to the desegregation crisis. While in
43
normal circumstances the principal’s role may be ambig-
uous, his authority limited, and his job largely routine,
when schools are suddenly reconstituted with substantial
numbers of new students and faculty members from racial
and ethnic groups not previously represented, the principal
often becomes an extremely important figure. He must
control and manage the early conflicts and tensions, build
positive morale, strengthen school-community relation-
ships, and help teachers work out better educational re-
ponses.”’
There is much more here, including the quote about a
successful desegregation due primarily to the principal’s
attitude of acceptance and his leadership skill. The last one
is taken from a book by Charles Willie, Dr. Willie, one of
the court masters, who wrote a book on this subject en-
titled ‘‘Race Mixing in the Public Schools,’’ in 1973, one of
the reasons for the Court’s feeling that he might be a
valuable member of the panel of masters.
So that this moratorium on permanent appointments by
this outgoing School Committee is based upon the need, in
the Court’s opinion at least, to protect the desegregation
plan from being frustrated and defeated by the lame duck
School Committee, whose majority, and I want to empha-
size that word majority; I do not speak of all of the mem-
bers, I speak of the majority of those members who have
done at least [102] everything, in my opinion, that they
could lawfully do to delay implementation of this desegre-
gation plan. Why? Because it invoves forced busing.
I have in mind the written responses, again, of a major-
ity of the members of the School Committee that is out-
going. One of them is quoted here in the appendix to the
opinion in the plan, wherein the School Committee mem-
ber stated, and there were two others substantially to the
same effect, that he would do nothing to ‘‘supplement the
plan.’? This is Mr. Kerrigan: ‘‘I will obey and carry out
44
all lawful orders of the Court, but I will take no initiative
or affirmative action to advocate or suppement any such
plan.’’
Well, that is precisely what the law of the United States
requires that the school committee man do and that the
school officias do, including the principals and headmas-
ters and the assistant headmasters, to take affirmative
action. So the majority of the School Committee set its sails
against implementation of this plan a long time ago, and
the Court will not stand by and permit a hurried and un-
necessarily ‘hurried selection and appointment of persons
to key roles, They are the keys. The new appointeees to
these crucial and critical positions must be responsible to
the new committee, which will be responsible to the Court.
Otherwise the [103] plan could well be shackled by thse
indirect activities of the persons who have directly done
what they could to shackle it. I refer again to the majority,
not to all the members, the majority.
So that is an injunction, and that will be in writing. It
will be served on them personally. And you, Mr. Tierney,
as an officer of the court, are directed to advise them orally,
so that there are no mistakes, at tomorrow’s meeting. Have
you any questions about the purport of this last injune-
tion?
Mr. Tierney: Yes, sir.
The Court: Well, I would appreciate your putting
them so that I could clarify anything.
Mr. Tierney: I am, first of all, informed, sir, that there
is not a meeting tomorrow, there is a meeting Thursday at
two o’clock.
The Court: It does not matter when it is. It could
be any time, They can do all sorts of things, but not make
permanent appointments to these critical positions.
Mr. Tierney: I wish to clarify my understanding that
the appointments that are enjoined are those appoint-
45
ments to any positions covered by the promotional rating
system or shown in the superintendent’s reorganization
plan.
The Court: Both. In other words, there is a [104]
difference,
Mr. Tierney: And.
The Court: Yes. Both. And.
Mr. Tierney: Yes, sir.
The Court : Now here it is, ten minutes of four.
Mr. Tierney: Is your Honor finished?
The Court: Well, | was just— Well, I will not leave
without giving you a chance to say whatever you wish.
There we were, talking about the promotional rating system.
Let me please confer a minute with Mr. Flaherty. He may
remind me of things I intended to say but have not.
(The Court conferred with Mr. Flaherty.)
The Court: Yes. That does conclude the Court’s find-
ings and orders on that motion. Now let me hear what you
wish to say.
Mr. Tierney: Your Honor, I will not attempt to object
to everything the Court has stated. I believe the Court is
aware of the position of my clients in this matter. I only
would enter, with the Court’s permission, and note for the
record the objection of the Boston School Committee to
the Court’s actions as encompassed by the Court’s state-
ment this afternoon.
| would note that the Court’s obligation in the view of my
client is to create a unitary school system, [105] That has
been done, and it is our position that the Court’s job has
likewise finished with respect to desegregation. I note that
respectfully, your Honor, and I would further request that
we be given the opportunity to have the Court’s orders in
writing as soon as possible. Thank you.
The Court: It is a good request. Yes, Miss Lynch.
Miss Lynch: Your Honor, on behalf of my clients, |
46
would like to suggest a slight extension of one of the orders
made by the Court. The Court has imposed a moratorium
on all permanent appointments. Before the Court currently
is a reorganization plan which was submitted by the super-
intendent and has been approved by the School Committee.
It had been my understanding that counsel would be given
the opportunity to comment on the provisions of that plan
before it received court approval.
The terms of the court order as it stands right now do
not prevent the School Committee from making acting ap-
pointments in accordance with that reorganization plan.
For instance, one area in which I am particularly concerned
is the provisions of the plan regarding vocational educa-
tion. For instance, the reorganization plan would give to
the assistant superintendent in that area four associates.
Those are new positions. They could be [106] filled on an
acting basis, and that, in effect, would lead to a further
fragmentation, we believe, of the vocetional management
system.
Therefore, I think until the parties have had an op-
portunity to comment on that plan, it would not be ap-
propriate for the School Committee to make even acting
appointments based on that reorganization chart. I would
ask the Court te modify its order to take care of it.
The Court: Does anyone want to be heard on that?
Yes, Mr. Tierney.
Mr. Tierney: I would simply note my objection.
The Court: Well—
Mrs. Sticklor: Your Honor—
The Court: I will get to you in just a moment. Let me
get back to Miss Lynch.
| am looking at the table. Where does that appear? Are
you talking about the vocational education plan?
Miss Lynch: No, it is not the vocational education plan.
It is the associate—
47
The Court: There are five associates and one deputy.
Miss Lynch: It is the Associate Superintendent for
Instruction. I believe the plan calls for her to have assis-
tants in the area of basic education, general education,
alternative education, instructional resources, and [107]
some help in the area of career education. My clients do
object to that structure even on an acting basis.
Mr. Van Loon: Your Honor? .
The Court: Yes. Oh, no, | am sorry. Mrs. Sticklor was
up first. :
Mrs. Sticklor: Your Honor, the defendant mayor sup-
ports the suggestion of Board of Education that the injunc-
tion imposed by your Honor be extended to include acting
positions until the New School Committee is in effect. We
note briefly three pooints as the basis for our support.
It is our understanding also that the reorganization plan
would be appropriate for comment by the parties as to the
various aspects. It is our understanding that there would
be some matter that would be considered by the Court.
Secondly, it has been the experience of the Boston public
schools, insofar as individuals have been appointed to
positions on an acting basis, that such appointments create
difficulties in changing the individuals filling those posi-
tions on a permanent basis, ana the Court now has before
it the question of appointment of permanent administrators,
which would be resolved by the Court at the same time. We
feel that appointing individuals on an acting basis in the
interim would [108] create further difficulties.
Lastly, your Honor, we feel that the position of the
people of Boston insofar as the Schol Committee will—
members of the Schoo] Committee will be changed effective
January 5th, when the School Committee is now in a lame
duck situation, that the will of the people would best be
served by a moratorium on acting appointments as well
until the new School Committee is constituted.
48
The Court: | wish I knew what the scope of this is.
That is my problem.
Well, let me hear from Mr. Van Loon.
Mr. Van Loon: Your Honor, we rise to vigorously
support also the position of the state board and the mayor
in proposing that none of these appointments be made
even on an acting basis for what is, in effect, a brief, three-
week period which includes the traditional winter holidays,
when less activity goes on. We believe that in addition to all
the other points that have been made, if appointments are
to be made for a number of these positions on a permanent
basis in the system, to be worked out by Mr. Kennedy,
through the next couple of months, appointing a number
of people on an acting basis lame duck right now may fur-
ther simply gum up the rating system as to who has what
experience as far as making more permanent appointments.
[109] We believe rather than having that possibly done
now tor three weeks and then other acting changes made
for these positions during the next four months so that we
can have a permanent position starting July 1, that it
simply makes sense to wait until we have the new commit-
tee in place to make acting appointments.
The Court: Well, if I understood the ramifications of it,
it would be easier.
Let me ask Mr. Tierney. Try to say something con-
structive. 1 know you object, but I mean, what is at stake
here? If there is some important acting appointment that
should be made, I cannot see that I should say it could
not. I just do not understand, as I say, the ramifications of
it.
Mr. Tierney: One of the ramifications, your Honor, is
the fact that Associate Superintendent Leftwich needs as-
sistant—he needs personnel assistance to help him in im-
plementing the vocational plan, That is just what we con-
49
ferred about, and he informs me that in some fashion, there
should not be issued an injunction that would encompass his
being able to obtain the assignment of personnel to work
with him on the vocational plan.
The Court: But isn’t this exactly what they did for
months and months and months on the Office of [110] Im-
plementation? They just never put anybody down there ex-
cept on a temporary assignment basis.
Mr. Tierney: On the contrary, your Honor. I hesitated
to go into that when I spoke, but the fact of the matter is
that after Superintendent Leary, at the suggestion of Miss
Fahey, brought these names to the Committee’s attention,
the committee voted them into office until September Ist,
when Miss Fahey took over. | am informed that when Miss
Fahey took over, the committee again voted these people in.
The Court: No, they did not vote them in anything.
What they did was transfer therm to that office as teachers
on loan.
Mr. Tierney: It had to be that way, your Honor—
The Court: It did not.
Mr. Tierney: —because the office did not exist. I lik-
ened it to the existence of a corporation.
The Court: Well, it will exist before the month is out
if I have anything to say about it.
Mr, Tierney: Well, I only brought that point up about
Mr. Leftwich’s needs, your Honor.
The Court: Yes, Mr. McMahon.
Mr. McMahon: Your Honor, may | ask a question as
to your order concerning the receivership at South Boston
High School?
[111] The Court: Of course.
Mr. MeMahon: That question is in terms of the person-
nel ordered to be transferred.
The Court: Correct.
50
Mr. McMahon: Do I understand your Honor to state
assistant headmasters in subject areas and department
heads will be transferred?
The Court: No. Only those persons— I tried to be care-
ful. I said the persons who are on the full time academic
administrative staff. Teacher-assistant headmasters do not
come within that definition.
Mr. MeMahon: Well, your Honor, I believe—
The Court: They are not full time administrators. They
are part time teachers and part time administrators, and
therefore they are excluded.
The receiver, | might say, is going to be directed to
review the entire faculty and staff at that school and to
recommend to the Court any transfers that he thinks
should be made in the best interests of that school and of
the implementation of the plan. That is something that I
did not touch upon.
Mr, MeMahon: Your Honor, that may be clear, but per-
sons who are in the job title of assistant headmaster (sub-
ject area) are not subject to the transfer order. Some are
full time administrators.
[112] The Court: Then they must go, and here is what
I have in mind specifically. When the school was overcrowd-
ed and was on double sessions, there was assistant head-
masters who were teaching, but because of the double ses-
sion feature and because of the need for additional full
time administrators, they were relieved of their teaching
assignments, and to this day do not teach. Those are in-
cluded in the group of persons whose transfer is mandated.
Mr. MeMahon: On their behalf, may I enter my objec-
tion?
The Court: Positively.
Mr. Coleman: Your Honor, one brief question and
clarification. When you stated the end of 1975 for transfers,
ol
you were referring to the calendar year rather than the
school year.
The Court : Correct.
Yes, Mr. Portnoy.
Mr. Portnoy: Your Honor, I apologize for being here
late. Unfortunately the Clerk’s Office did not notify me of
this hearing. I would just like to clarify some information
I have received since I have been here.
The Court: Right.
Mr. Portnoy: As I understand it, you have entered an
order of no finding against ali three of my clients.
[113] The Court: No, not quite. As to Mr. Bilotas, the
matter was dismissed and withdrawn with respect to him.
With respect to Mr. Sealese and Mr. Perdigao, I have en-
tered no findings with respect to them, with the one ex-
ception of a set of findings against Mr. Perdigao, finding
that he did not carry out the plan which required that
he take affirmative action to desegregate the football
team, and further directing that he and others at the high
school be transferred to a different school at no loss in
salary.
Mr. Portnoy: Thank you, your Honor. Will this be a
written order?
The Court: Yes.
I want to get back to this acting matter. How many po-
sitions are we talking about? Do you know, Mr. Van Loon?
Mr. Van Loon: No, I do not, your Honor, but I believe
that one indication would be to look at the impounded De-
partment of School Security Services. There is a central
organization chart toward the back of that which lists—
The Court: But that has to do with the Department of
School Security Services, and Miss Fahey is going to make
those appointments, and the School Committee has been and
is again enjoined from interfering with her in [114] that
regard.
52
Mr. Van Loon: I am saying, your Honor, that immed-
iately preceding Page 36 of that plan is an organization
chart of the whole School Department, with district super-
intendents and others, and I believe that some indication of
the number of positions is given there listed under the
names of each of the associate superintendents.
The Court: All right. Here is the Court’s order on this
whole matter. With respect to the injunction against the
School Committee making permanent appointments and
imposing a moratorium until after the new School Com-
mittee takes office, it is expanded as follows:
With regard to appointment on an acting basis, those
appointments are also enjoined unless with court approval.
By this I do not mean approval of the names, but rather ap-
proval of the positions to which appointed. The first ap-
proval of such an exception to the injunction is the appoint-
ment of such persons on an acting basis as Miss Fahey
considers Mr. Leftwich needs in carrying out the respon-
sibility that he is now discharging with regard to formula-
tion and implementation of the unified plan for vocational
education and occupational education. The Court will,
if Mr. Tierney wishes, similarly exempt from any prohibi-
tion against acting appointments a whole [115] shopping
list of such positions if there is any basis for acting ap-
pointments.
By way of illustration, | consider that the brief comment
that he made is a proper basis for having Mr. Leftwich
go forward with acting appointments in the area just de-
scribed. What the court intends here with respect to acting
appointments is to avoid the situation alluded to by Mrs.
Sticklor and Miss Lynch and Mr. Van Loon. If there is
a need for an acting appointment, by all means, one or sev-
eral will be permitted, but there has to be some showing of
need, not simply a matter of putting people into a position
a3
simply because they will thereby gain an advantage over
the competition when the new School Committee comes in.
Well, that concludes this aspect of the hearing. It has
lasted longer than I thought. I think that, subject to hear-
ing from you, I might continue the other matter to the next
hearing, but maybe someone has some particular points.
There is a variety of motions in other regards pending, like
attorneys’ fees and a lot of other things.
What do you have?
Miss Lynch: As to the security plan hearing which is
scheduled for Friday, at the current moment the security
plan is impounded.
Unrrep Srartes District Court
District or MASSACHUSETTS
Civil Action No. 72-911-G
TaLLUuLAH Morcan, ET AL.,
PLAINTIFFS,
v.
Joun J. Kerrican, ET AL.,
DEFENDANTS
ORDER SUSPENDING APPOINTIVE POWER
OF SCHOOL COMMITTEE
December 9, 1975
Garrity, J. An order of the court providing for a four-
week moratorium beginning December 10, 1975 on appoint-
ments by the current school committee which concludes its
term of office on January 5, 1976 issued from the bench
o4
on December 9, 1975, on the basis of findings of fact and
conclusions of law dictated to the court reporter; and is
hereby confirmed. It is OrpErep that
The defendant Boston School Committee and its agents,
attorneys, employees and assigns are enjoined, individu-
ally and collectively, from making any permanent, acting
or temporary appointments, including appointments by
transfer: (1) to any school department position specified
in Superintendent Fahey’s September 15, 1975 or October
14, 1975 ‘‘Proposed Central Organization of the Boston
Public Schools,’’ filed with the court on November 5, 1975,
or in Superintendent Fahey’s September 3, 1975 or October
14, 1975 organization plans as approved by the vote of the
school committee on December 3, 1975; or (2) to any school
department position which is subject to the procedures out-
lined in the February 5, 1973 document, ‘‘A Proposal for
a Promotional Rating System,’’ filed with the court on
September 27, 1974 by the city defendants or as updated
on November 3, 1975; provided, however, that acting ap-
pointments to particular positions may be made subject
to prior court approval.*
The defendant school committee’s request for acting ap-
pointments to fill positions to assist Associate Superinten-
dent Charles W. Leftwich in implementing the Unified Plan
for Occupational and Vocationa) Education is granted.
This order shall expire on January 6, 1976.
(s) W. Arrnur Garrity, Jr.
United States District Judge
* Prior court approval pertains to the filling of a particular
position, without any requirement that the identity of the prospec-
tive appointee be disclosed.
59
Unrrep Srates District Courr
District or MAssACHUSETTS
Civil Action No. 72-911-G
TaLLuLAH Morcan, ET AL.,
PLAINTIFFS,
v.
Joun J. Kerrigan, ET AL,
DEFENDANTS
ORDER CONCERNING
SOUTH BOSTON HIGH SCHOOL
December 9, 1975
Garrity, J. After hearing plaintiffs’ motion for further
relief concerning South Boston High School and upon
consideration of the arguments of counsel, on the basis of
findings of fact and conclusions of law dictated to the court
reporter on December 9, 1975 and later supplementary
findings and conclusions on plaintiff’s motion, it is hereby
OrpERED, by way of written confirmation of orders issued
from the bench on December 9, 1975, that South Boston
High School (both main building and L Street Annex) be
placed in temporary receivership of the court effective
December 10, 1975 and that Joseph M. McDonough, Assist-
ant Superintendent for Community District 6, be appointed
temporary receiver of South Boston High School. The lim-
ited, general purpose of said receivership is to accomplish
as soon as feasible such changes in the administration and
operation of South Boston High School as are necessary to
bring the school into compliance with the student desegre-
gation plan dated May 10, 1975 and all other remedial
orders entered by the court in these proceedings, e.g., de-
segregation of faculty and staff.
It is further Orperep that:
(1) The temporary receiver and the defendant superin-
06
terent of schools together arrange for the transfer from
South Boston High School to other positions in the Boston
public school system effective on the first school day in
January 1976, without reduction in compensation, benefits
or seniority, of the building administrator, full-time aca-
demic administrators who do not presently instruct classes
and coach Arthur Perdigao; and arrange for the appoint-
ment, subject to prior court approval, of a new building
administrator and administrative staff, which shall be de-
segregated; the new building administrator shall assume
office on January 2, 1976 and shall participate with the
temporary receiver and the superintendent in the selection
of the new administrative staff.
(2) The temporary receiver, in consultation with the
new building administrator, (a) review and evaluate the
qualifications and performance of all faculty, guidance
and other educational personnel in the light of the special
demands and strains on such persons in the days ahead at
South Boston High School and arrange with the superin-
tendent of schools, who is hereby ordered to cooperate, for
the transfer from South Boston High School to other
positions in the Boston public school system, without re-
duction in compensation, benefits or seniority, such per-
sons as he may determine; and arrange with the superin-
tendent of schools, who is hereby ordered to cooperate, for
their replacement with newly hired teachers or transfers
from other high schools; (b) file with the court on or be-
fore February 2, 1976 a plan and chronology for the sub-
stantial renovation of South Boston High School including
the cafeteria and kitchen, gymnasia and equipment, music
and art departments and facilities for business office ed-
ueation, automotive mechanics and sheet metal shops; and
(c) endeavor to enroll students assigned to South Boston
High School who have not been discharged to attend other
a7
schools and establish separate catch-up classes for re-
turning students including a summer school if necessary.
(3) The temporary receiver consider the following ques-
tions and subjects and report his recommendations on them
to the court: (a) a schedule for reducing the numbers of
uniformed police inside the school, (b) regarding transi-
tional aides, reducing their numbers, providing for equal
numbers of white and black aides, employing two or more
other-minority aides and obtaining uniforms for aides, (c)
activation and development of Racial Ethnic Parents’ and
Students’ Councils, (d) Thompson’s Island Academy pro-
gram proposal and (e) joint meetings with representatives
of paired university and businesses, viz., the University
of Massachusetts, Gillette Company Safety Razor Division
and Federal Reserve Bank.
(4) All parties and intervenors in these proceedings,
their agents, attorneys and employees, cooperate with the
temporary receiver in the performance of his duties; and
that the defendant Boston School Committee reimburse
Mr. McDonough for all reasonable expenses incurred by
him in his capacity as temporary receiver whether or not
he would be entitled to reimbursement in his capacity as
district superintendent of Community District 6.
(s) W. Artnuur Garrity, Jr.
United States District Judge
08
Unirep Staves District Court
District oF MassaCHUSETTS
| Title Omitted In Printing]
MOTION TO STAY ORDERS OF
DECEMBER 9, 1975
The defendant, the School Committee of the City of
Boston, moves that implementation of the following orders
entered on December 9, 1975, be stayed pending appeal:
1. That the Schoe! Committee of the City of Boston be
enjoined from making appointments to vacancies which
exist in the School Department.
2. That a receiver be appointed to take over the opera-
tions of South Boston High School and the ‘‘L’’ Annex.
3. That the headmaster, assistant headmaster, football
coach, department heads and other administrators be trans-
ferred from South Boston High School and the ‘‘L’’ Street
Annex.
4. That the Superintendent oversee the operations of
the Office of Implementation and the Department of School
Security Services without interference by the School Com-
mittee.
In support of this motion, the School Committee states
that the actions of the District Court are without precedence
and should not be implemented without allowing the School
Committee an opportunity for hearing on appeal.
By its attorneys,
DiMENTO & SULLIVAN
(s) James J. Suuuivan, JR.
James J. Sullivan, Jr.
100 State Street
Boston, Massachusetts 02109
(617) 523-5253
December, 10, 1975
59
Unrtep States Court or APPEALS
FOR THE First Circuit
No. ;
TALLULAH Morean, ET AL.,
PLAINTIFFS,
v.
Joun J. Kerrican, ET AL.,
DEFENDANTS.
MOTION FOR A STAY
The School Committee of the City of Boston moves for
a stay of implementation of the following orders of the
District Court entered on December 9, 1975, pending ap-
peal, to wit:
A. That the School Committee of the City of Boston
be enjoined from making appointments to vacancies which
exist in the School Department.
B. That a receiver be appointed to take over the opera-
tions of South Boston High School and the ‘‘L’’ Street
Annex.
C. That the headmaster, assistant headmaster, football
coach, department heads and other administrators be trans-
ferred from Souv.th Boston High School and the ‘‘L’’ Street
Annex.
D. That the Superintendent oversee the operations of
the Office of Implementation and the Department of School
Security Services without interference by the School Com-
mittee.
In support of this motion, the School Committee states :
1. It has moved in the District Court for a stay of said
orders. It is expected that this stay will be denied because
of the time constrictions which affect the order.
2. Failure to stay the District Court’s order relative to
the power to make appointments will make the order moot
by the time an appeal is heard. The term of office of the
60
present School Committee, which is an elected body, ex-
pires on January 6, 1976. On that date, two of the present
five members will be replaced. If the stay is not granted,
the present School Committee will suffer irreparable harm
because it will have been deprived of its right to continue
in office for a full term. In effect, the District Court has
limited their term of office. Every day that passes without
a stay is a prior restraint upon the Schoo] Committee’s
plenary power.
3. Failure to stay the District Court’s order relative to
South Boston High School and ‘‘L’’ Street Annex will ir-
reparably harm the School Committee. It will have lost its
day-to-day control over the fiscal operations of these
schools and the power to decide what education will be
offered. There is no power in the District Court to require
the whole scale transfer of administrative staffs and the
imposition of a receiver to perform the functions of duly
elected officials. Counsel can find no case where a receiver
has been appointed to perform the functions of elected of-
ficials. If no stay is granted, the citizens of Boston will have
lost their local control over the operation of these schools
and will have no way to redress any grievence relative to the
operation of these schools.
4. Failure to stay the District Court’s order relative to
the grant to the Superintendent of the powers of the School
Committee will irreparably harm the School Committee. The
power of overseeing the operation of the School Depart-
ment vests in the School Committee. If the Superintendent
exercises these powers, then the powers of the duly elected
School Committee will have been compromised. The elec-
torate will have lost its control over the day-to-day activities
and funding of these operations.
5. These orders are unique in American jurisprudence.
The first order has established precedence for the termina-
tion of ‘‘lame duck’’ appointments. The District Courts,
61
by using their equity powers, can usurp the powers of
elected officials, including the President, to appoint per-
sons after those elected officials have been defeated in a
bid for re-election, In effect, the District Court is exercising
the executive function. The second, third and fourth orders
remove from elected officials their traditional and statutory
powers and put them into the hands of appointed officials.
This will establish precedence for the District Courts con-
trolling the operations of the legislative branch of govern-
ment. These novel orders, intruding upon the powers of the
legislative and executive branches of government, should
be stayed until the appeal is heard.
6. Notice of appeal relative to these orders has been
filed in the District Court.
By their attorneys,
DiMENTO & SULLIVAN
(s) James J. SuLLIVAN, Jr.
James J. Sullivan, Jr.
100 State Street
Boston, Massachusetts 02109
(617) 523-5253
December 10, 1975
STENOGRAPHIC TRANSCRIPT GF PROCEDURES
[1] Unsrrep States District Court
District oF MAssacHUSETTS
Civil Action No. 72-911-G
TaLLuLAH Morcan, ET AL.,
PLAINTIFFS,
v.
Joun Kerrican, ET AL.,
DEFENDANTS.
Before: Hon. W. Artuvr Garrity, JR.,
District Judge.
62
Court Room No. 1
Federal Building
Boston, Massachusetts
December 15, 1975
Appearances:
Robert Pressman, Esq., and
Eric E. Van Loon, Esq.,
for the plaintiffs.
James J. Sullivan, Esq., and
Philip T. Tierney, Esq.,
for the defendants School Committee
Sandra L. Lynch, Esq.,
Counsel, Board of Education, and
Timothy J. W. Wise, Esq.,
Assistant Attorney General,
for the defendants State Board of Education
Marilyn L. Sticklor, Attorney,
Assistant Corporation Counsel,
for non School Committee city defendants.
John F. MeMahon, Esq.,
for the Boston Teachers Union.
Richard W. Coleman, Esq.,
for the Boston Association of Schoo! Administrators
and Supervisors, AFL-CIO.
Pamela Taylor, Attorney,
for El Comite de Padres.
[2] PROCEEDINGS
The Clerk: Civil Action 72-911-G, Tallulah Morgan
versus John Kerrigan et al.
The Court: | received the court orders, transcript
of the court orders, that were dictated on the afternoon of
December 9th, and have here the motion of the plaintiff
to stay the orders entered then. I also brought up the
opinion of the Court of Appeals when they considered ap-
plications for stay on a different motion back in June, June
63
17th, because I think the principle stated would be >Ipful,
and I want to state preliminary view of this matter im just
one minute.
Before doing so, | want to acknowledge Mr. McLaugh-
lin’s presence here.
' Mr. McLaughlin: Yes, your Honor.
The Court: I received a letter from Miss Fahey, Mr.
McLaughlin. I don’t know that I received an appearance
letter or slip from you or your firm.
Mr. McLaughlin: An appearance slip was filed, your
Honor, along with that letter.
The Court: Thank you.
Now with respect to this motion, I consider that Para-
graphs 1, 2, and 3 are final orders of the type that are ap-
pealable, but Paragraph 4, which is the one about the
superintendent making appointments independently of the
[3] School Committee to the Office of Implementation and
Department of School Security Services I think of as being
interlocutory and not appealable. The reason is that the
order with respect to these is still in process of litigation
here at this level. The parties will not be heard until Wed-
nesday on their proposals and counterproposals with re-
spect to the plan for a Department of School Security Serv-
ices, and the draft order on the Office of Implementation
is one that still has not been filed by me. | have put it
aside while working on these findings of fact and conclu-
sions of law that I thought would be filed on Friday. I
thought they would be filed today, when I did not file them
on Friday. I hope they will be filed today, but it may not be
until tomorrow when they are filed, so that for those rea-
sous, I do not plan to hear argument addressed to Para-
graph 4, principally because I think the orders covered by
that paragraph are interlocutory in nature.
I will now hear arguments as to the other paragraphs,
64
and would start off with counsel for the Schoo] Committee.
Mr. Sullivan.
Mr. Sullivan: May it please the Court. Your Honor, my
arguments are directed first of all to the scope of your
order and secondly to your authority under the law to have
entered those orders. Counsel for the Schoo] Committee on
two separate occasions had submitted memoranda or briefs
on [4] this question, on the issue of your authority and our
questioning that authority. The first was filed on September
26, 1975. That was a memorandum of the Boston School
Committee relative to the recommendations of the Civil
Rights Commission. The other was filed on October 10, 1975,
and that was a rebuttal brief of the Boston School Com-
mittee.
The citations and the arguments have already been pre-
sented to you. These questions, questions involving your
orders of the ninth of December and as finalized last Fri-
day, are of serious and novel nature. We feel that it is
imperative that an appellate court review those orders be-
cause of their uniqueness, because of the breadth of their
scope. Time is of particular essence, as | am sure your
Honor appreciates.
As I stated last Friday, we are having a footrace here
with mootness. The present school committee goes out of
office on January sixth. If we do not have our day in
appellate court, many of these issues, if not all of them, will
be mooted. The force of your orders has the effect of bob-
tailing the term of office of elected officials. As of the
date of your orders, they cease in very large areas to ex-
ercise the authority for which they were elected. You have
teken from their administration the overseeing of the
South Boston High School. You have enjoined them from
making the appointments which they have statutory auth-
ority to make.
65
[5] You have entered into the area of local autonomy,
long recognized in this commonwealth and elsewhere for
elected school officials to administer the affairs of the
schools. We feel that you have done so without sufficient
basis. We feel that there is no precedent in law for what
you have done. We feel that you, in this vital period, where
we are faced with mootness around the corner, should not
be the reviewer of your own acts, certainly in this area.
These orders have tremendous impact, as we all ap-
preciate. The School Committee is stripped of its powers.
A federal district court has entered into the area of school-
mastering, to the extent that you through your agents are
administering the South Boston High School. We object to
this procedure. We feel that it is constitutionally defective,
and we plead for an opportunity to have these orders
reviewed by a circuit court, and that such be done within
a reasonable time, which reasonable time ‘s now.
The Court: Well, let me ask a question, because I think
it is material. Suppose the stay should be granted with
respect to the appointments. It would seem to me — and
I want you to correct me if I am mistaken — that the grant-
ing of a stay would simply open the way for the School
Committee to make the very appointments which the Court
has ruled should not be made. In other words, I see no dif-
ference between a stay and the merits in these matters.
Hither the School [6] Committee is going to be free to
make these appointments or not. If there is a stay of the
order-granted, I see nothing to prevent the School Com-
mittee tomorrow from convening and making the appoint-
ments without the Court having entered the order on the
desegregation of administrators or without the Court
having reviewed and the parties having had a chance to
talk in terms of the reorganization which was voted on the
third of December, and so forth.
Do you distinguish between the stay and the merits here?
I have difficulty doing so.
66
Mr. Sullivan: Well, it is very difficult to do so, your
Honor, but the question of your authority in this area is
so fundamental that it calls for an immediate review by a
court higher than you are.
The Court: I agree completely. Don’t have any mis-
understanding. I have not in any remotest way nor will I in
any way delay the processing of this appeal. It should go
forward just as quickly as possible. I asked Mrs. Fitzhugh,
of course, to expedite this, and we have it, and the papers,
I assume, will be given to the Court of Appeals just as soon
as possible, but to me, to grant the stay would moot the ap-
peal. You say to keep it in effect would moot the appeal.
Mr. Sullivan: Yes.
The Court: | have a different view. What is wrong
with my view that to grant the stay would open up the ap-
pointive {7] power and render the appeal moot?
Mr. Sullivan: Well, there may be other avenues of
testing those appointments, but this has been a tradi-
tional power of the School Committee, and you are chang-
ing it. Your are changing their appointive authority, and
therefore the urgency is more in the direction of their re-
view and a stay from what you are suggesting.
The Court: Well, I did want your answer on that ques-
tion.
Mr. Sullivan: Well, that is my answer.
The Court: Right. Well, does anyone else— I think
Mr. Sullivan has finished. Mr. Pressman, are you going
to speak for the plaintiffs?
Mr. Pressman: Yes, I am, your Honor. Could I in-
quire if there are any other arguments in support of a
stay so all of those could come first?
The Court: Yes. I think that is a good idea. Yes, Mr.
McMahon.
Mr. MeMahon: | would only indicate, your Honor, that
we would support Paragraphs 2 and 3 of the School Com-
mittee ’s motion.
67
The Court: Well, let me ask you, then, this question—
it bothers me — that | asked of Mr. Sullivan. Stay, of
course, does not here mean delay or impede in any way.
The common ground is that the appeal will go forward as
quickly [8] as possible. The question is, What is the status
to be while the appeal is being processed? Are the orders
that the Court entered to go into effect, or are they to be
suspended or to be put in abeyance? Mr. Sullivan indi-
cates that denial of the motion will moot the appeal. A
premise, I think, of his argument is that the appeal could
not be decided on the merits between now and the first of
January, because the School Committee goes out of office
on the fifth.
Well, it seems to-me that if one assumes that the
appeal couid be decided on the merits before the first of
January, then the rights of the School Committee could be
preserved and there would not be mootness. Conversely,
it would seem to me that if the Court suspended its orders,
then the appointments could be made, and that would have
the effect of mooting the case in the other direction.
Mr. MeMahon: Your Honor, I would agree with your
analysis as to Paragraph 1 of the School Committee’s mo-
tion. My support is of only Paragraphs 2 and 3.
The Court: I see. Well, let me ask you a question,
then about Paragraphs 2 and 3. Is there not, with respect
at least to the transfers, a built-in stay, in the sense that
the order does not call for the transfers to become effec-
tive until the second of January, in any event?
Mr. MeMahon: That is correct, your Honor, but that—
The Court: And the Court of Appeals will have an [9]
opportunity to continue or to order a stay— In other
words, it is not as if these orders were effective tomorrow,
and please consider that dimension in your argument, if
you wish to make an argument.
68
Mr. McMahon: Your Honor, we would renew, if nec-
essary, and even file separately an independent motion to
the Court of Appeals to stay beyond January one the
transfers and imposition of the receivership, but I do not
think that questions of this kind and of such complexity
in terms of their novelty and their depth can be decided
by the Court of Appeals, as this Court of Appeals so care-
fully decides questions, before January one.
The Court: Well, | am sure you are aware, being
in touch wtih the situation generally, that the operations
of South Boston High School and the L Street Annex, as
far as the operations in the balance of last week are con-
cerned and the operations today are concerned, are under
the control of the Federal Court in the most technical way.
Mr. McMahon: Yes, your Honor.
The Court: It is true that the Court has, for the pur-
poses stated in its orders, ordered this temporary receiver-
ship, but I am unaware of any change in the operation of
the school. I don’t think there has been any change in the
faculty or staff, or the conduct presence of law officials or
other persons. No question that the order is effective [10]
and the intention of the Court is, incidentally, to settle upon
a new headmaster as soon as can be.
I don’t want to lead you to an erroneous opinion or under-
standing here. Mr. McDonough, the temporary receiver,
has made numerous inquiries and has made considerable
progress in his efforts to select a successor to the building
administrator at South Boston High, and I don’t expect it
is any— well, I expect I should note on the record that I
conferred with Mr. McDonough for proably 45 minutes
shortly before coming up here this afternoon.
So that is the situation. Do you want to argue further on
the matter?
Mr. McMahon: No, your Honor, | don’t think so.
The Court: All right. Anyone else now? Yes, Mr.
Coleman.
69
Mr. Coleman: Yes, your Honor. The Administrators
Association would also support the motion for a stay as
regards Paragraphs 2 and 3. Particularly with reference
to Paragraph 3, it is our opinion that the South Boston
High School could continue to operate, implementing the
Court’s order to the fullest, with the administrative staff
intact, and if the Court believes that it is neccessary for a
receiver, we believe that administrative staff can work
under a receiver.
We think that it is inappropriate, based upon the [11]
evidence in this court room, to place the bulk of the public
blame and fault on the administrative staff of South
Boston High School for any failure to implement the plan
that the Court may have seen or found, and therefore we
believe that these orders are to be stayed pending review in
the Circuit Court.
The Court: All right. Anyone else in support of the
motion.
[ No response. }
The Court: Apparently not. That clears the way for
you, Mr. Pressman.
Mr. Pressman: This being a motion for a stay, an
appropriate starting point is the standard that should
apply with respect to a stay of an order of the District
Court. The Court of Appeals addressed this question in
an opinion on June 17th when a number of the parties here
sought to stay the Court’s Phase 2 remedy.
The Court of Appeals mentioned two standards. One of
them was that the applicant must demonstrate that the
harm to him if a stay is not granted outweighs the harm
to the other parties if the stay is granted. The other factor
mentioned is that there exists the probability that he,
meaning the applicant, will succeed in his appeal on the
merits.
70
Before getting on to discussing the motion and the [12]
particular orders, there is another point that should be
considered preliminarily, and that is the deference that the
Supreme Court has indicated is in order when a district
court has developed a remedy during the remedial phase of
a desegregation case, We can recall that Brown and I did not
discuss remedies. The court instead addressed a list of
questions to counsel and other interested parties, includ-
ing questions addressed to should the Supreme Court enter
a decree or should the cases be returned to the district
courts, and the Supreme Court decided on the latter process,
specifically referring to the fact that the district courts
would be closest to the situation, that there would likely
be a need for further hearings, that the district courts
would have the best understanding of the facts and the
remedies needed, and that theme has been repeated in the
subsequent cases, Swann, and the Montgomery County
case before, and that principle we think is uniquely applic-
able here.
The Court has spent many days on hearings, becoming
familiar with the facts of this matter, the problems of im-
plementation, employing less rigorous remedies, and seeing
first how they worked.
Now with respect to the motion, and the argument by
the School Committee in support of the stay, we think it is
plainly inadequate on the face. There is not one word about
the comparative harms between issuing a stay and denying
the [13] stay. All these orders rested on findings by the
Court of irreparable injury to the plaintiff class, and the
Court of Appeals has made it clear that there must be a
showing with respect to the balance of harms, and that is
not even suggested in the motion or argument by counsel.
Alse, we think that the argument is defective with re-
spect to showing some possibility of success on the merits.
‘here is reference to some briefs that were filed some time
71
ago about a complete receivership, but there is nothing ad-
dressed to the specifics of these three orders before the
Court, two of which are in writing and a transcript setting
forth the Court’s findings for these specific orders, so
that we think that if just the argument of the committee is
considered and the motion, the stay needs to be denied, but
beyond that, we think that each one of these orders is
plainly consistent with the Court’s authority.
The first order we will discuss is the order imposing a
temporary hold on the School Committee’s ability to
make appointments. In the first place, it needs to be point-
ed out that that is not an absolute bar on appointments. The
order specifically refers to the authority to come to the
Court to request acting appointments with respect to speci-
fie positions, and in one instance in which that was done, the
Court allowed the appointments. At the last hearing, the
Court said that at any point when there was a need, the
[14] committee should make a specific request.
We think that this order is supportable on two grounds.
First, in the June 21, 1974 opinion, the Court found that
there was discrimination with respect to employing ad-
ministrators. The Court found that the system of employing
administrators carried forward the dicrimination with re-
spect to hiring teachers, because teachers were the primary
pool for appointing administrators. The Court of Appeals
specifically, in our view, agreed with that rationale, so
that we think that this temporary hold is justifiable to pre-
serve the status quo with respect to the racial make-up of
the administrative staff while the Court gives further con-
sideration to the remedial proposals in that area, and we
think that this kind of relief is similar to the relief upheld
in the NAACP versus Beecher case by the Court of Ap-
peals.
There what happened was the district court enjoined
permanent appointments of firefighters pending develop-
72
ment of a validated exam, acting appointments could be
made, and the Court of Appeals upheld that relief, and we
think that this is a similar situation.
Secondly, we think that this order can be sustained
based on the record of conduct here with respect to admin-
istrative positions of the majority of the School Committee
since the June 21st order. That seemed to be the basis that
the Court was giving for the temporary hold in the bench
[15] ruling referring to the possibility that persons hostiie
to implementation of the plan would be put in many posi-
tions before the new committee was seated.
We can refer to a number of actions. There was non-
compliance with the January 28, 1975 order with respect to
appointing minority recruiters. There was a failure to
appoint district superintendents under the May 10th plan
until the Court specifically ordered it. There were prob-
lems during the past summer with salaries for persons
who were working to implement the plan.
The position of safety coordinator remained unfilled for
a period after Mr. McCabe was given other responsibilities.
There were inadequate personnel for the transfer office.
There was the problem we had recently with respect to
the person designated to be in charge of security, and there
was the slow pace that we all witnessed with respect to one
minority administrator for South Boston High School, and
we think that this pattern of obstructive conduct is a
second and independent reason why the Court could put a
temporary and limited hold on the authority to make ap-
pointments.
The next order that we wish to discuss is the order ap-
pointing the receiver for South Boston High School. What
this does is to displace the authority of the School Com-
mittee for one aspect of the system, but we point out that
it does [16] not do it by appointing someone totally out-
side the system to have the authority and to be responsible
73
to the Court. It puts in that place the person that was selec-
ted by the Schoo] Committee to be in charge of that district.
We think that is a significant point.
We point out that this order rests on a clear finding of ir-
reparable injury to the plaintiff class, The Court agreed
with our motion that black students were not receiving
the peaceful, integrated education to which they were en-
titled under the Fourteenth Amendment and the order.
The Court did not agree with every word in our motion,
but it made findings about assault on black students and
racial epithets affecting them. There was a clear finding
of irreparable injury.
In assessing the legality of that order, we think that the
starting point is the Court’s underlying authority. From
Brown II on, the Supreme Court has said that federal
district courts in desegregation cases would exercise all
the traditional equitable powers. Thus, in Brown II the
court said: ‘‘In fashioning and effectuating the decrees,
the court wil) be guided by equitable principles.’’ One of
the traditional equitable principles is that a court of equity
in some rare instances in an extreme situatign can use the
remedy of receivership. For example, in the Aldrich case,
151 Fed. 2d at 261, the Court of Appeals for the First Cir-
cuit suid: [17] ‘‘The appointment of receivers in the case
at bar was an appropriate exercise of the court’s inherent
equitable power.’’
Again, in Swann, the Supreme Court addressed the scope
of the equitable power of the district court in a desegre-
gation case. The court said: ‘‘The essence of equitable
jurisdiction has been the power of the Chancellor to do
equity and to mould each decree to the necessities of the
particular case. In default by the school authorities of
their obligation to proffer acceptable remedies, a district
court has a broad power to fashion a remedy that will as-
sure a unitary school system.”’
74
So the general language of the cases at least suggests
broad authority of the district court to deal with the neces-
sities of the situation, but the question can be asked and
has been asked: Despite this broad language, is it never-
theless proper in any circumstances for elected officials to
be displaced? Can this never be done? We say under the
law that that is not the case, that in a rare case like this,
where we have months, in fact, more than a year, of ob-
structive conduct, what the Court has done in 2 limited way
is proper, and we rely on the following authorities:
In the first case, in the Swann case, the question was
developing a segregation plan, and when the schoo] auth-
orities, who were elected, after numerous opportunities to
present a plan, nevertheless did not present one that ap-
proached [18] legality, the court appointed experts, who
were court experts, well, a court expert, who drew the
plan which the court then adopted. This had the effect of
displacing the elected authorities from one of their most
important prerogatives, namely, deciding to which schools
the pupils would go. That action was specifically upheld
by the Supreme Court, and it has been done in other cases.
Second, we find support for the Court’s approach in
reapportionment cases. There have been a number of cases
where, after the court gave the legislatures an opportunity
to reapportion themselves, to develop a valid plan, and they
nevertheless defaulted, the court then by itself or with the
aid of a master developed a plan of its own. This principle
is recognized and some of the cases are collected in Sixty-
seventh Minnesota State Senate versus Beens, 406 U.S. at
195 to 200.
Furthermore, there seems to be a suggestion, partic-
ularly in the paper that was filed seeking a stay in the
Court of Appeals, that what the committee has been doing
mirrors the views of the electorate, and that somehow the
committee can always do that without being displaced. Well,
75
that is just not the law at all. In another reapportionment
case, Lucas, 377 U.S. at 736-37, there was a situation where
the electorate had approved a reapportionment plan which
the court found did not comply with the one-man-one-vote
[19] requirement, and the court rejected the notion that that
insulated it from attack, saying, ‘‘One’s right to life,
liberty, and property and other fundamental rights may
not be submitted to vote, may depend on the outcome of
no elections. A citizen’s constitutional rights can hardly
be infringed simply because the majority choose that it be.’’
So we say under these authorities that there is no
absolute phohibition on displacing elected officials when
their conduct is of the type that has occurred here.
The next question as to the validity of orders was, was
there a need for them, is there some indication that the
irreparable injury which the Court found could have been
addressed by some remedy that does not exclude the School
Committee from acting the part. We say that based on the
nature of the problems and the performance of the majority
of the School Committee since June 21st, the answer to that
question is plainly no.
First, the nature of the problems. The Court found that
there is a school in which more than a year into the plan
there is not a peaceful, integrated education. What is re-
quired, someone has to evaluate very carefully the prob-
lems in that school, to think of a range of solutions, to
consult with other persons about solutions, to implement
solutions. Ne one can blueprint in advance exactly what
the analysis ix going to entail or what the solutions will
be, but that is [20] the kind of effort that is needed, and it
has got to be done by someone who wants to see a solution
at the end of the tunnel also. The words and the deeds of
the majority of the School Committee show that they are
not able to participate in that kind of effort, and the plan,
to use some familiar words here, that included them would
not promise realistically to work.
76
Back in the beginning, on June 21st, the Court began
with some general, affirmative orders, That just did not
prove adequate to insure compliance. The Court had to
repeatedly inform the majority of the School Committee
that general remedial orders required that they do— every
staff, large and small, and that they do a little thinking about
the kinds of things that were necessary for the plan to work
properly. In just one area where there were problems, and
the Court repeatedly had to point out, the obligation was
with respect to providing funding for the different pro-
grams.
The reason that general orders proved inadequate is
clear from the words of the School Committee members
when the Court invited them to court during the contempt
proceeding. Two of the members said and in their answers
to written questions that they would not do anything to
supplement the plan. Well, the Court cannot issue an order
that is as long as an encyclopedia, detailing every i that
needs to be crossed— every i to be dotted and every t to be
crossed. It needs to [21] rely at least to somb extent on
general orders, and when the School Committee members
said they would not supplement the plan, they were in effect
saying they would not comply with their obligation.
Later, we repeatedly heard about the need for direct
orders. Well, as the Court stated when that occurred, the
general order should have been enough for the members
of the School Committee to meet their affirmative obliga-
tion under the Constitution. But then when there were
specific orders, they did not work very much either, There
was noncompliance with the order on hiring minority re-
eruiters for many months. There was noncompliance with
the order about submitting a plan on December 16th. There
was noncompliance with the orders about appointing ad-
ditional district superintendents, and there were several
other specific orders that were not complied with.
77
Further, and this is, you know, one of the most significant
points, and the point | have mentioned, it is simply not
possible for the Court to issue an order that covers in
advance every single thing that needs to be done. The
Court in the order to Mr. McDonough has indicated a num-
ber of topics on which he should make reports, but it is not
really possible for the Court and the experts in advance to
say exactly what should and should not be done in each of
those areas. Someone who wants to see the problem re-
solved [22] has to look into those areas with the will and
the desire to resolve the problems.
The Court has done other things to try to avoid the
day that was reached. Officials who have come to court to
speak, to state their views, to express— to engage in a
dialog with the Court have been permitted to do so: the
mayor, several representatives, a member of the School
Committee. There have been innumerable hearings where
parties could raise pretty much anything they wanted to
raise. The Court has sometimes inquired again and again
about particular things: what was the progress being made;
what was the progress in the School Committee taking a
view on the hours, on the staggered hours of opening;
what was the progress on appointing a black assistant at
South Boston High School; what was the progress on
giving a budget to.the Office of Implementation.
Then the Court, when the Civil Rights Commission raised
the point, asked for memos on recceivership, and the memos
were on file for a while, while all of us hoped that some
things would change.
Part of the problem is the attitude, the obstructive at-
titude, of some of the members of the School Committee.
We remember that when the first draft of the instruction
booklet was available, the School Committee’s approach
was to say how unworkable it was and then to announce
that in a press [23] conference, rather than to see if that
could be worked out first.
78
We have to remember that the School Committee had
submitted a plan where the mechanism for assignment was
far more complicated than the Court’s plan, but when the
first draft of the booklet was complicated, the approach
was to publicize, oh, how workable this was, but it did not
prove that way after some members of the staff and the
experts worked on the booklet. :
The Court, with a lot of precedent from other cases, ap-
pointed a citywide committee. One day at a School Com-
mittee meeting on June 4, 1975, Mr. Kerrigan discussed
working with the committee. First he said, ‘‘ Well, I would
rather work with syphilis.’’ Then he corrected the record.
He said, ‘‘I’d rather work with gonorrhea.’’ Then later on
he corrected it again; he said ‘‘I’d rather work with some-
one with bubonic plague.’’
Well, those are some of the problems that the Court
has been faced with and have forced the Court where it is
now, to a remedy that is strong but, we say again, within
the Court’s authority. There are many other instances of
obstructive conduct and they don’t have to be mentioned,
but they are detailed in the memo that we filed on receiver-
ship on September 26th.
The Court did not seek the level of involvement of [24]
these multiple teams that we have had to have. The very
first time we have been able to find when counsel for the
School Department brought up the question of how far the
Court was going to get into the daily operations of the
system, the Court said, on July 23, 1974, ‘‘Not one finger-
nailful than absolute necessary.’’
Later, when the members of the School Committee were
here for the contempt hearing, the Court, in addressing
Mr. Kerrigan, said: ‘‘Once there is a plan, can the Court
79
anticipate your cooperation? because— or do I have to say,
‘Do this, do this, do this,’ because I cannot do that.’’ Then
later on again during the summer, the Court was repeatedly
saying things like that.
la sum, we think that these facts and the law made what
the Court did inevitable and necessary.
Now, a little more with respect to the legal support and
legal authority for what the Court did. We have mentioned
the general language of Brown II and Swann. There is also
the case of Turner 1. Goolsby, 255 Fed. Supplement at 724.
To be sure, the members of the school board there were
not elected but we have previously argued that there is not
a material distinction when the facts are like the ones
here. There the receiver developed a desegregation plan;
later, at the court’s request, investigated claims of in-school
discrimination ; considered the need for remedial programs.
There the receiver [25] was the state Superintendent of
Education. Here the receiver is .omeone from within the
school system, appointed by the members of the School
Committee, my recollection is, unanimously, with one ab-
stention, to be in charge of that area.
A second case that we think furnishes support is United
States versus Board of School Commissioners of Indianap-
olis, 503 F.2d 75 to 78. There the court, after the school
committee— school board defaulted in submitting a plan,
‘*temporarily assigned the school department’s planning
staff to assist the court experts’’ which the court had
appointed.
There are other authorities that we think are perti-
nent, and they are in our receivership memo at pages 65
to 67. '
Now with respect to the order transferring Dr. Reid
and the other administrators and Mr. Perdigao, we point
out that they will be having the same pay and very similar
positions. We think under the case law that applies to the
remedial phase of school desegregation cases that the Court
80
need not make a finding of intentional wrongdoing each
time it takes action. The question is one of effect, and here
the Court has found that the plan was not being effectively
implemented, many months after desegregation had started,
and we think under the cases that say effectiveness is the
test, the Court can replace the persons under whom the
plan has not been successful without some finding that
they intentionally [26] engaged in wrongdoing, and we rely
on the Davis case, 402 U.S. at 37, and White v. Emporia, 407
U.S. at 459 to 462, in taking that position. We point out
that these are not cases about transferring administrators,
but they do, we believe, establish the principle that in the
remedial phase of a desegregation case, the question is
effect.
With respect to transfer of power, for a long time courts
have directed transfers of staff to achieve desegregat:on.
We think that this is authority for transferring them for
another purpose if it is necessary to effectively implement
the plan. We think that the Court could conclude whether
or not the administrators engaged in intentional wrong-
doing that they would be so associated with the noncom-
pliance, the lack of adequate implementation of the plan,
for a number of months, in the minds of all the students in
the community and the teachers there that the Court could
conclude that people without prior involvement in the
schools should make a fresh start toward implementing
the plan.
We think that the arguments that we have made with
respect to the administrators apply a fortiori with respect
to Mr. Perdigao, based on the specific findings made by
the Court with respect to his situation.
In conclusion, our view is that each of the orders was
based on specific findings of irreparable injury; that no
showing whatsoever has been made that the harm, to the
students [27] if stays are granted would be less than the
harm to the officials if the stays were not granted; that
81
these actions are plainly within the authority of the Court
when the facts are what they have been since June 21
1974; and we therefore say that the stay should be denied. :
The Court: [To Mr. Sullivan] Well, there might be
someone else before you. We have rebuttal. I don’t know
if anyone else wants to be heard.
Miss Taylor: Briefly, your Honor.
The Court: Miss Taylor.
. Miss Taylor: We would join the plaintiffs, your Honor,
in opposing the stay of the order pending appeal. El Comite
maintains that the minority children of Boston have a
right to safe, desegregated education, that immediate
action of this Court is required in order to assure that.
Hearings in this court have determined that they are not
receiving safe, desegregated education at this time.
We would agree wiih the plaintiffs regarding the stan-
dard stated by Mr. Pressman. We feel that the irreparable
harm suffered by the School Committee in losing its right
to continue in office is by far outweighed by the right of
minority children to equal education.
We would also point out that the appellate courts have
continuously invited the district courts to exercise broad
equitable powers in fashioning remedies in desegregation
[28] eases. At the chance of sounding simplistic, we would
argue that this Court has an obligation to formulate a
plan that works and one that works now. We would there-
fore oppose a stay at this time.
The Court: All right. Yes, Mr. Sullivan.
Mr. Sullivan: If your Honor pleases, there are two
things mentioned by counsel for the plaintiffs, one of
them having been mentioned by the Court last Friday. The
Court and counsel for the plaintiffs seem to share the view
that the sentence contained on page 2 of the order suspend-
ing appointive power of the School Committee remedies
another otherwise severe situation by providing that act-
82
ing appointments to particular positions may be made,
subject to prior court approval.
I disagree with that opinion, because the elected public
officials are supplicants. They have to come to the Court.
It is the Court who makes the appointment. The Court
retains an imprimatur and takes it away from the elected
officials, Whether or not that language appears to be a
modification, in effect it is not.
Another thing—
The Court: Before you get to the next thing—
Mr. Sullivan: Yes. |
The Court: —what did you make of the asterisk, which
I hoped would answer that point to some extent, and [29]
that is that the Court does not want to learn the identity
of people. If it is a position that requires filling, sch
as the people who are working on this vocational education
plan, I am not concerned about who it is. So do you not
distinguish between a court saying a position can be filled
and saying put Mr. So and So in that position? which I
think is a different story.
Mr. Sullivan: Not really. Not when it is a usurpation
of the rights of elected officials. I respectfully disagree
with your Honor.
Another thing that was expressed by counsel for the
plaintiff was, Well, it would be different if someone outside
the system were appointed as receiver. That type of salve
in no way calms the sting of the wound. The fact of the
matter is that the elected officials have been removed, their
authority has been destroyed, and whether one comes from
West Roxbury or Timbuktu to be the receiver makes no
difference.
Counsel for the plaintiff has argued lengthily and given
us a history of this litigation from his or the plaintiff’s
point of view. However all-inclusive his argument may
seem to have been, it does not face up to what I consider
the narrow issue before the Court: the scope of your
83
powers and your— tke scope of your orders and your
authority to render them. He talks about reapportionment
cases and the like. [30] I would prefer to talk about a case
dealing with an implementation order, Keyes versus School
District Number One, in Denver, found at 521 Federal 2d
and I— This case— .
The Court: Do you have the page? If you have it there
I will note it.
Mr. Sullivan: Four sixty-seven, I believe.
The Court: All right. Is this before or after the
Supreme Court decision, if you know?
Mr. Sullivan: After.
The Court: All right.
Mr. Sullivan: Now, this decision, it seems to me, nar-
rows in on the question of the authority of a judge in an
implementation order, and I would like to take a little time
if I may, your Honor, to quote from that decision.
The Court: Let me ask one other thing, if I may.
Mr. Sullivan: Yes, your Honor.
The Court: Does the date appear at the beginning of
the opinion?
Mr. Sullivan: I don’t have the very first page.
The Court: All right. Well, don’t—
Mr. Sullivan: Those are headnotes, and I did not
carry that—
The Court: All right. Fine.
Mr. Sullivan: —1975 case. That much it is.
The Court: All right.
{31] Mr. Sullivan: But the month I cannot give you.
The Court: All right. ;
Mr, Sullivan: Now that decision quotes the United
States Supreme Court in the Milliken versus Bradley case
and others. It said: ‘‘Direct local control over decisions
vitally affecting the education of children has long been
thought essential both to the maintenance of community
concern and support for public schools and to the quality
84
of the educational process.’’ Further, ‘‘Local control per-
mits citizen participation in the formulation of school
policy, and encourages innovation to meet particular local
needs. Educational policy, moreover, is an area in which
the courts’ lack of specialized knowledge and experience
counsels against premature interference with the informed
judgments made at state and local levels.’’
From the same page, 482, ‘‘We believe that the district
court’s adoption of the Cardenas plan would unjustifiably
interfere with such state and local attempts to deal with the
myriad economic, social, and philosophical problems con-
nected with the education of minority students. Instead of
merely removing obstacles to effective desegregation, the
court’s order would impose upon school authorities a
pervasive and detailed system for the education of minority
children. We believe this goes too far.’’ And I believe that
your orders go too far.
[32] The Court: All right. Well, yes.
Mr. Pressman: Yes. I would just like to make a few
comments about the Keyes case.
The Court: All right.
Mr. Pressman: The question was the permissibility of
the desegregation plan approved by the district court, and
the Court of Appeals held that in two respects, the district
court had entered provisions that were not related to par-
ticular constitutional violations found by the district court,
were beyond its authority because they did not relate to
the segregation of the system which he had found. Here we
have pointed out in our argument that what the Court has
done is to deal specifically with impediments to implement-
ing its desegregation order.
The Court: Well, I will decide this in a moment— I
mean in a few minutes, after taking a brief recess, because
I think a quick decision is consistent with everyone’s
determination to have all these questions resolved speedily.
85
Before taking a recess, which will be between five and
ten minutes, and then I will come back and state the deci-
sion, there is a housekeeping matter I want to ask about,
or I might otherwise forget to, for Mr. Sullivan. Is there
an arrangement to be made whereby Miss Fahey’s counsel
is to be compensated, if you know? That is something you
were going to—
[33] Mr. Sullivan: —when the committee holds its
next meeting, your Honor.
The Court: All right. Thank you, then. We will take
a short, five-minute reccess.
[ Recess. ]
AFTER RECESS
The Court: The ruling is that the motion to stay is
denied in all respects. | have already stated that I would
not entertain the motion with respect to Paragraph 4, which
I thought to be interlocutory, and the parties have not
argued that aspect of it.
With respect to Paragraph Number 1, about the mora-
torium on appointments, I feel that the plaintiffs, rather
than the defendants, who are here the moving parties, have
demonstrated a probability of prevailing on the merits on
appeal. On the matter of balancing harm to the parties,
that is, to the plaintiffs from granting of the motion and
to the defendants from the denial of the motion these
positions which cannot now be filled are not all of the
positions. They are only certain high level positions, and
they have been vacant, in many instances, for years. I can-
not see any harm to the School Committee if they should
remain vacant for another few weeks.
Were the motion to be granted with respect to Paragraph
One, it would, I believe, have the effect of defeating the
[34] Court’s order of December 9th. In this instance, I am
unable to distinguish between the merits and the motion to
stay, and I think that to grant the motion to stay with re-
spect to Paragraph One would be equivalent to a reversal
86
of the Court’s order entered December 9th, and I simply
am not prepared to reverse the order, because I do not
think it should be.
Paragraphs 2 and 3 are different. They are the para-
graphs that appoint a receiver for the South Boston High
School; that is Paragraph 2; and then the one that orders
that certain personnel at the school, the building admini-
strator and his assistants and the football coach, be trans-
ferred. There agan, the Court feels, first, that the defen-
dants have not shown a probability of sueceeding in their
appeal. In my view, those orders are not essentially dif-
ferent from dozens of provisions in the desegregation plan
itself.
The desegregation plan interferes at many points with
the autonomy of the School Committee. I do not have the
plan in front of me, but some of the many ways in which
the authority of the School Committee is superseded in
matters never thought to be the prerogative of a court
would be the order that each school building must have a
headmaster or principal, or, called in the plan, a building
administrator.
We will recall that over the years, it was the practice to
have an elementary school principal in charge of a group
of schools. He might be principal of as many as four or
[35] five, even six schools that were located fairly close to
one another. The Court accepted the masters’ recommenda-
tion that if there was to be accountability in the school
system, and other benefits, which would be necessary if
the plan were to work, there should be a person in charge
in each building, and the Court so ordered.
The Council of Principals, the drawing of certain dis-
trict lines, all sorts of orders in the plan supersede and
interfere with the normal prerogatives of the School Com-
mittee, so I look upon this order transferring the admini-
strative chiefs at South Boston and putting the school in
receivership as not different essentially from an order that
87
could have been put into the plan along the following lines:
Unless certain changes are accomplished at the end of
six months from today
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