Few expected busing to be a major issue during the June 27 Democratic debate. The spirited exchange between Senator Kamala Harris and former Vice President Joe Biden was unexpected by just about everyone, since this issue has largely been considered to be a relic of a bygone era. However, some of this past history still stubbornly lurks in federal legislation to this day, in the form of harmful federal restrictions that prevent school districts from using federal funds for transportation for school integration purposes. Such a restriction handcuffs school districts at a time when cross-racial understanding is more important than ever.
Until the beginning of this fiscal year, there were two provisions in federal appropriations laws that contained this ban. Thus, a school district that wanted to voluntarily take steps to counter increasing racial segregation would not be able to use federal money to help pay for the transportation that would inevitably be needed. For over 40 years, these two provisions were re-authorized without much discussion. Yet, when the National Coalition on School Diversity (NCSD) brought these provisions to the attention of Congress a couple of years ago, no one could give a reason for their continued presence today.
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