Separate but equal schools are illegal.

Separate but equal schools are illegal.

• A. Plessy v Ferguson
• B. Edgewood ISD v Kirby
• C. White v Regester
• D. Brown v Board of Education

Answer: (D)

Separating students by race in public schools clashes with equal protection under the law because it treats people differently based on race and sends a message that one group is inferior. The ruling that best fits this idea is a 1954 Supreme Court decision that declared separate educational facilities are inherently unequal and therefore unconstitutional under the 14th Amendment. This decision overturned the earlier doctrine that allowed “separate but equal” facilities, showing that segregation itself harms educational opportunities and cannot be considered truly equal. The ruling also drew on social science evidence about the effects of segregation on children’s development, reinforcing why public schools could not be legally segregated. As a result, it set off a movement toward desegregation in education, even though actual implementation took many years. The other cases address different issues—one about funding disparities in Texas schools and another about voting districting and minority representation—so they don’t address whether segregated schools can be legal.

Separating students by race in public schools clashes with equal protection under the law because it treats people differently based on race and sends a message that one group is inferior. The ruling that best fits this idea is a 1954 Supreme Court decision that declared separate educational facilities are inherently unequal and therefore unconstitutional under the 14th Amendment. This decision overturned the earlier doctrine that allowed “separate but equal” facilities, showing that segregation itself harms educational opportunities and cannot be considered truly equal. The ruling also drew on social science evidence about the effects of segregation on children’s development, reinforcing why public schools could not be legally segregated. As a result, it set off a movement toward desegregation in education, even though actual implementation took many years. The other cases address different issues—one about funding disparities in Texas schools and another about voting districting and minority representation—so they don’t address whether segregated schools can be legal.