MPSD is relieved from a federal consent decree

MERIDIAN, Miss. (WTOK) -In 2013, the Meridian Public School District said they had nearly 10,000 suspensions that year alone, which led to concerns.

After these concerns were filed, the federal government noticed and began to reach down and force the school district to change the ways it disciplines its students by way of a consent decree.

When Dr. Amy Carter was elected to be the superintendent, she began to implement new strategies for how they disciplined students.

“How do we implement PBIS positive behavior interventions and supports? How do we support our teachers? How do we make sure discipline practices are fair? How do we make sure we’re complying with the order? And so it was a huge task,” said Dr. Carter.

Ten years later, the district went from 10,000 students suspended to only 1,200 students suspended last year.

“Wow, is all I can say. I am so proud of our Meridian public school district teachers, our faculty, our staff, our administrators. They have worked so hard the past 10 years to make sure that we’re operating with fair practices in our classrooms and throughout our district. And we are so proud of this community and what we’ve been able to accomplish,” said Dr. Carter.

The consent decree went into detail, stating the school district gave unfair treatment towards African American students, but after fixing those issues, the judge believed he could lift the consent decree.

“Judge Wingate himself commended Meridian Public School District teachers, students, families, and so again, I’m so proud of what we’ve accomplished,” said Dr. Carter.

Dr. Carter says the school district was once known as a pipeline to prison but is now excited about what the future has in store.

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