Green v.

County
School Board of
New Kent County
Chelsea Brandimarte
Marissa Evola
Lyndsey Ruchalski
Samantha Drexler
What Prompted the Case?
New Kent County, Virginia (Prior to 1965)
New Kent school taught whites
George W. Watkins taught African Americans
Brown v Board implementation of freedom of choice
plan
Plan did not adequately integrate the school systems
Placed the burden of desegregation on the African
American childrens shoulders
About the Case
Samuel Tucker, Jack Greenberg argued for petitioners.
Fredrick Gray argued for respondents, with him Robert Button, the Attorney
General of Virginia and many others.
Laws at the time:
(Brown 1)- Brown vs. Board - did not explain how schools were to be
desegregated
(Brown 2)- Plessy vs. Ferguson- education facilities were not equal
About the Case
At the time of Green, the commonwealth of Virginia had statutory and constitutional provisions
mandating racial segregation in public schools in an effort to resist complying with Brown.
New Kent County, Virginia, had a school system of only two schools. One school was a combined
elementary and high school for White students, while the other was a combined elementary and
high school for Black students.
The Supreme Court measured the effectiveness of the freedom-of-choice plan (as required under
Brown) created by the New Kent County School Board
New Kent County School Boards plan required students, except in first and eighth grade, to
choose their school annually. Students that did not choose were placed back into their prior
school.
The Supreme Court found that the separate white and negro schools in New Kent County
were precisely what was found unconstitutional in Brown l and Brown ll.
The desegregation in schools must also extend to the faculty, staff, transportation
extracurricular activities, and facilities. Green Factors
Results

Court added that the freedom of choice plan was unconstitutional.

Ordered the school board in New Kent County to create a new plan to consider other
efforts such as zoning to help build a system of just schools.
Green continues to guide school boards to consider various factors when
addressing issues related to desegregation.
Not only for students but also staff, transportation, and administration
Green factors are still relevant today for school boards when evaluating
whether they continue to comply with Brown I and Brown II
Opinions