School-case judge rejects delay call

The presiding judge in Pulaski County’s long-running federal school desegregation lawsuit is proceeding with a 1:30 p.m. Monday court hearing in the case, overruling a request from attorneys for black students for a postponement.

“The Court prefers to make some preliminary rulings now on the Robinson/Mills issues, as well as discuss scheduling for the case in general,” U.S. District Judge D. Price Marshall Jr. ruled last week.

At issue is whether there is parity between two newly constructed schools in the Pulaski County Special School District: Mills High in southeast Pulaski County and Robinson Middle School in west Little Rock. The Pulaski County Special district is obligated by its desegregation plan and other court orders to operate school facilities “that are clean, safe, attractive and equal.”

The judge, his staff and others spent a full day last month touring the new Mills and Robinson campuses, as well as Maumelle High that is also in the Pulaski County Special district.

Monday’s court hearing was previously scheduled, but it just happens to come after Little Rock School District parents last week proposed forming a partnership between the Little Rock School District and the Pulaski County Special district to assign all west Little Rock and west Pulaski County students to Little Rock’s Pinnacle View Middle School and all high school students to the existing Robinson Middle and High School campuses.

John Walker, an attorney for black students known as the Joshua intervenors, asked for the hearing delay in part because of that proposal.