Teaneck to mark 60th anniversary of school integration with ceremony, unveiling of marker

TEANECK — The unveiling of a marker at Bryant Elementary School will honor the 60th anniversary of the township's historic voluntary integration of its school district, the first in the nation.

The ceremony on Sept. 18 at 6 p.m. at the school is a joint effort of the township's Board of Education and the Historic Preservation Commission.

"This milestone highlights the district's enduring commitment to inclusivity, cultural enrichment, and academic excellence," said Schools Superintendent Andre Spencer. "As Teaneck schools commemorate six decades of progress, we continue to advance programs that support diverse learning needs and promote a community where every student can excel."

Despite the U.S. Supreme Court's 1954 Brown v. Board of Education ruling that state-sanctioned segregation of public schools was a violation of the 14th Amendment and was therefore unconstitutional, the practice was still widely in use 10 years later.

Local activists, including Theodora and Archie Lacey and June Handler, became concerned as the elementary school that housed grades kindergarten through fifth was losing its racial balance, and they approached the district with a plan to make the building the sixth grade school for the entire township. It meant students in other grades would have to be bused to other schools in the district.

The plan was not without its critics. Black and white families argued in favor of neighborhood schools to minimize busing, if not the unstated reason of preserving racially separate schools. However, the district's Board of Education voted in May 1964 to create the centralized sixth grade building. The first integrated class entered Bryant School that September.

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In 1965, another debate about integration surfaced, but it resulted in the election of school board members who affirmed the busing plan and the central sixth grade. Former New Jersey Sen. Loretta Weinberg said her political career got its start when she worked as a volunteer on the campaign.

“To me, there was sort of an importance to acknowledge that the responsibility to make sure our schools were properly integrated really fell on all of our families,” Weinberg said.

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The long-term effect of the plan is still being debated. The building is now used for prekindergarten classes. While the township is made up of 40% Jewish residents, its public school enrollment is 15% white students and 61% Hispanic and Black students. School controversy continues, including debate over last November's controversial pro-Palestinian walkout by high school students.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Teaneck to mark 60th anniversary of school integration with ceremony, unveiling of marker