NAACP Sues to Block Omaha Redistricting

Omaha, Neb. — The NAACP sued Nebraska’s governor and a state committee Tuesday over a new law that divides Omaha Public Schools into three racially identifiable districts.

The law, passed by the Legislature at the end of its recent session, splits the Omaha district starting in 2008 into three districts: one mostly black, one largely Hispanic and one predominantly white.

It was aimed at solving a dispute over school boundaries in the state’s largest city after Omaha Public Schools tried to take over some suburban schools.

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Supporters said the plan would give minorities control over their own school board and ensure that their children were not shortchanged.

State Sen. Ernie Chambers, the Legislature’s only black senator, has long argued that the Omaha district was already segregated because it no longer bused students for integration purposes.

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