Southern Education Foundation Statement on Garland ISD Desegregation Developments

February 3, 2026

For more than 155 years, the Southern Education Foundation has stood at the intersection of education and justice, advancing opportunity for students across the South.

We are closely monitoring the Garland Independent School District Board of Trustees’ recent decision to approve the dismissal of its longstanding desegregation order. While we recognize that we do not yet have full visibility into the district’s rationale or future plans, the removal of federal desegregation oversight is a consequential action that warrants careful consideration and sustained public attention.

SEF has long understood desegregation orders not as relics of the past, but as important safeguards that help ensure students, regardless of race or background, have access to inclusive, well-resourced, and opportunity-rich learning environments. These orders have historically played a critical role in addressing persistent inequities that do not simply resolve on their own over time.

When federal oversight is lifted without transparent and enforceable commitments to maintaining fair access for all students, there is a real risk that long-standing disparities may deepen or reemerge. This is not a theoretical concern. Across the South and the nation, the consequences of reduced oversight have too often resulted in increased segregation and unequal educational opportunity.

SEF urges education leaders, policymakers, and civil rights officials to view this development not in isolation, but within a broader regional and national context. Similar actions across districts underscore the need for renewed vigilance, accountability, and support to sustain progress toward educational opportunity.

SEF is the home of the Equity Assistance Center-South, a federally designated desegregation assistance center. The Equity Assistance Center-South works directly with school districts across the region to support these very efforts, along with fair policy implementation and inclusive educational practices. We remain committed to monitoring developments in Garland and across the South and to supporting districts in upholding the civil rights and educational futures of all students.

For all media inquiries, please contact communications@southerneducation.org