More than four years after the Wichita school district stopped transporting students across town to racially integrate schools, the district has taken another step toward being freed from a voluntary busing agreement.
The Wichita School Board voted this week to approve a new contract with the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights. The move gives the agency six months to tell the district whether it's released from the busing agreement.
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2007 it was unconstitutional to assign students to schools based on race. The following year, the Wichita board approved a plan to end crosstown busing for most students. The district says it's maintained an extensive network of magnet schools and special programs that guarantee equity.