by Oletha Jones
It has been most unfortunate, but for the last 15 years, it has been necessary to monitor and correct unfounded negative narratives regarding the SBCSC Federal Consent Decree. We usually find they come without data or any credible information to substantiate their validity and amount to nothing more than self-serving propaganda. It is especially disturbing when it comes from people who are employed by the SBCSC. For example, on April 1, 2025, over a year ago, I received an email from the SBCSC in-house-attorney with unsubstantiated and misleading claims concerning the corporation’s Consent Decree, with the implication that he feels the Decree has been a hinderance. He also thinks that the district would be better off without it and they should get rid of it, suggesting that “community members take the place of a Consent Decree by serving on a “citizen’s committee.’”
Another, more recent, example, is a Commentary published by the Indiana Capital Chronicle published on May 15, 2026, entitled “Decades-old consent decree denying Indiana families school choice.” The commentary, authored by Addie Angelov, quoted a statement by the SBCSC Superintendent, as follows: “It is difficult to explain to our mixed race and Latinx families that we must deny them access to their desired school in our district or their neighborhood school because they are categorized as white in our consent decree. If we were allowed to submit data per today’s guidelines we would be in compliance. By today’s standards we are in compliance, but being held to 1980’s standards keeps us in the 1980’s.” The truth is the SBCSC has never complied with the Federal Order. In order to claim that status they would have to PROVE “Unitary Status,” which means the corporation has met every requirement from the original Order. There are roughly eight requirements, most of which every SBCSC administration, including the current administration, has not even attempted to comply with. Misinformation has circulated concerning this Decree for years and that is why it became necessary to create “An Overview of the South Bend Schools Federal Consent Decree,” which can be found on the Community Forum for Economic Justice Education Page, here.
With all due respect, the problem with Mr. Eid’s statement in the article is there is no data to back it up and it has nothing to do with the purpose of the SBCSC Federal Consent Decree. A FOIA request was submitted for documentation or data to verify this claim and someone within the corporation responded anonymously, “the district does not keep records of this type.” If there is no record, how can he make this claim?
For accuracy and transparency, the student enrollment data for every ethnicity should have been included in the last SBCSC Report to the DOJ, especially the three largest demographics: Black, White, and Brown. The only demographic reported is Black and that is not helpful. We are not even sure how credible this claim is because many students, as referred to as mixed-race, identify as Black. The corporation used to include student enrollment for every ethnic group in their yearly DOJ reports. The comparisons by demographic should be where we can see them.
We found other inaccuracies and discrepancies in the 2025 DOJ Report. On page 29 it is reported, “During the 2024 school year more Black students had behavior incidents and subsequently experienced more exclusionary consequences than non-black students.” This statement is misleading, unsubstantiated, and represents the negative stereotype mindset of this corporation. Which makes “a Consent Decree” necessary. Years of study and data have already established that. Where is the adult accountability in this finding?
We are requesting Mr. Eid to explain publicly, with reliable data that can be verified by experts, how he came to this conclusion, and why he would speak about this in some other community not his own. What is the underlying objective? I do not remember anyone from the administration, or any board member for that matter, ever complaining about having to deny access to desired programs or schools to Black families, the protected demographic.
The information in this commentary is not only misleading but is contrary to the Order’s intent and purposes. It can prevent the corporation from providing equal opportunity to Black students. According to the findings of the recent Reparatory Justice Commission Report, it is time to be honest about the miseducation of Black children, which is why we need this Federal Consent Decree.
Education Committee NAACP SB
Oletha Jones, Education Chair
Trina Robinson, President