From left, MPSD Attorney John Compton; MPSD Superintendent Dr. Amy Carter; LaVonda Germany, MPSD Director of PBIS & Student Supports; Jaime Dole, Adams and Reese LLP Paralegal; and John Hooks, MPSD Attorney with Adams and Reese LLP; after Judge Wingate’s ruling in favor of MPSD on September 12, 2023.
For Immediate Release | September 13, 2023 | Meridian, MS
On Tuesday, September 12, 2023, U.S. District Judge Henry Wingate ruled to release the Meridian Public School District from a decades-long desegregation lawsuit and the federal supervision that stems from the Consent Decree that was entered into by the Department of Justice and MPSD in March 2013.
“I am elated for the Meridian community,” said Dr. Amy Carter, MPSD Superintendent. “I would like to thank the MPSD staff, students, parents, and our community for their support and hard work over the last decade in helping to make our district better for all students.”
Since then, the district has implemented positive behavior interventions and supports (PBIS) as a vehicle to teach students about making better decisions, and in recent years the district has adopted Stephen Covey’s Leader In Me to help students identify leadership qualities that they possess.
“The community might ask what now and I would say that we are going to continue to do the things that made this possible and do the right thing by students while supporting our teachers,” said Carter.
###
