Mandatory Integration

1969-1970

The U.S. Supreme Court’s 1968 Green Decision ruled that “Freedom of Choice” desegregation plans did not comply with the mandate for school integration and ordered schools to integrate fully by school year 1969-1970. The Coffee County School Board submitted a plan for total integration but withdrew it when faced with extreme opposition from the newly formed Citizen’s League for Better Government. As the 36th most populous county in the state, Coffee came under federal scrutiny and, while most counties continued “Freedom of Choice,” Federal Judge Alexander Lawrence ordered Coffee County to implement full integration in September 1969.

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1970 Coffee Junior High Annual Dedication by Joseph D. Murray, Sr., Administrative Principal