A lawsuit filed more than 63 years ago against multiple boards of education in Alabama, including Russellville City Schools, was finally dismissed recently, even though the system has been in compliance for 50 years with the allegations raised against it.
Anthony T. Lee, et al, along with the United States of America through the Justice Department and the National Education Association, filed the lawsuit in January 1963 alleging certain public school districts operated racially dual systems of public education, in violation of the Fourteenth Amendment and Title IV of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
That list eventually grew to 90 school districts who were added as defendants along with the State of Alabama.
A federal judge entered a regulatory injunction requiring each school district to establish a fully desegregated school system in compliance with federal law.
On February 21, 1975, the Court dissolved the injunction against several school districts who were found to be in compliance by operating a unitary school system for at least three years. Those districts included Russellville City Schools.
For Russellville and the other districts, their cases were placed on the Court’s inactive docket.
Since 1975, and more than 51 years since, Russellville City Schools remained in compliance with all Court orders in running a desegregated school system.
After that 1975 order placed RCS on the inactive docket, the Justice Department conducted periodic reviews of the system to ensure continued compliance.
During the 1968-69 school year, racial composition of students among Russellville City Schools’ four schools broke down as follows:
—Reedtown School: 100% Black, 0% White.
—Russellville Elementary: 8% Black, 92% White.
—Russellville Junior High: 6% Black, 94% White.
—Russellville Senior High: 12% Black, 88% White.
Black students comprised 16% of the entire system’s enrollment in 1968, yet the system maintained one 100% Black elementary and middle school, and one 100% White elementary school and middle school, a significant variance from the district’s average of 16% Black students.
In the 2025-26 school year, racial breakdown in RCS’ four schools was as follows:
—West Elementary: 3% Black, 33% White, 60% Hispanic, 4% Other.
—Russellville Elementary: 4% Black, 34% White, 59% Hispanic, 3% Other.
—Russellville Middle School: 5% Black, 31% White, 61% Hispanic, 3% Other.
—Russellville High School: 5% Black, 33% White, 58% Hispanic, 4% Other.
These numbers evidence that Russellville City Schools is running a fully desegregated school system, with demographics at each school corresponding closely to the overall system racial composition.
Additionally, as a single grade structure district, there is only one school option for each grade, so all students in that grade attend one school.
With this proven track record of compliance, the Court returned control over the system back to local school authorities, and RCS was dismissed from the case with prejudice, meaning it’s not subject to refiling on the same or similar allegations.
RCS Board Attorney Danny McDowell said the system’s long history of compliance, evidenced at each Justice Department review, made his client long overdue to be dismissed from the case.
And that’s what finally happened on July 24, 2026, when a Court order was signed dismissing and closing the case as to Russellville City Schools.
Specific language in the Court order read: “The Joint Motion to Dismiss is granted and the case is dismissed with prejudice as to Russellville City Schools. All prior injunctions and orders entered in this case relating to Russellville City Schools are dissolved. The Clerk is directed to close the case.”
The original suit sought to right a long-standing wrong in public education—that of racial segregation in many public schools districts, including Russellville.
But after more than 51 years of compliance, that suit reached its final end.