The Montgomery County Board of Education in the state of Maryland recently passed a bill that would desegregate the student population and encourage diversity in public schools. Effective next school year, the redistricting of boundary lines would prioritize increased diversity in schools. Montgomery County is easily one of the most diverse areas in Maryland, but this is not reflected in the school system. With the geographic separation of the Montgomery County student population due to historically white schools, like Walt Whitman HS, Walter Johnson HS, Winston Churchill HS, Damascus HS, and Poolesville HS, and historically black schools, like Paint Branch HS, JF Kennedy HS, Albert Einstein HS, and Springbrook HS, some say that the Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) system perpetuates the “separate but equal” doctrine, reminiscent of the Jim Crow era.

Jeanette E. Dixon, a former principal at Paint Branch HS in Burtonsville, MD, and a current Board of Education member (At-Large), was one of the key speakers in pushing for the referendum to pass.

“Looking back at the Brown V Board decision, the ‘separate but equal’ rule is never really equal,” she says. “Students learn a lot from each other based on race, background, gender, ethnicity. It’s what makes our schools, and really, America, stronger as well. It’s important to me because diversity is a great learning experience.”

In order to get a policy like this passed, or rather changed, the Board of Education’s policy committee must first recommend the alteration. Then, the public is given two to four weeks to respond to the recommendation. If the public’s view is generally positive, or if there is too little data to collect, the Board proceeds to receive active statements and testimonies from the group affected by the policy change.”

Giovanni Gutierrez from Rockville HS is a member of the countywide student government (MCR-SGA) and also offered his testimony to the board.

“As a student of color attending a primarily white school, it’s difficult for me to assimilate into their culture. School is supposed to enrich me, not gentrify me,” he stated. “The fact that this hasn’t been discussed before now, is a little scary. This policy would allow diversity to be a factor in the quality of our education, which really, is the most important thing.”

Since the passing of the policy, the Board of Education has been receiving backlash from parents that don’t feel it’s necessary to continue with the policy. Interestingly, no negative response has come from the students, as messages from MCPS students were all in support for the bill.

“A couple words said by parents have inflamed the issue. We’ve received a couple of good words from students. We’re doing what is best for ALL students. We don’t want clusters or groups that are segregated from the rest of MCPS public schools, and that’s it.” Dixon states.

In regards to redistricting school lines, the Board states that they don’t plan to pull kids out of school spontaneously. They hope to integrate them slowly but steadily.

“It’s called Montgomery County Public Schools, not Paint Branch public school, not Churchill Public School, not Poolesville Public Schools, not Clarksburg Public School, not BCC Public School,” Dixon says. “Parents pay high taxes to make sure their kids go to good schools. Students bring different things to their peers through diversity. It makes the learning experience more enriching.”