Crosstown Busing Still in Full Swing

Some people in Baton Rouge think that when the U.S. Department of Justice ended its consent order over public schools in East Baton Rouge Parish that busing in the parish also ended.  But busing has not ended.
Case in point: Woodlawn Middle School. The East Baton Rouge Parish School Board — not the federal courts — has continued cross-town busing. Here are the two non-contiguous areas that make up the Woodlawn Middle School attendance zone.
The first area (purple) is in North Baton Rouge. It is bounded on the south by Hollywood Street and on the north by Airline Highway.
The second area is in the southeast part of the parish near the school. In addition, under No Child Left Behind, students who formerly attended a failing school anywhere in the EBR district can attend Woodlawn Middle School.
These students are bused to Woodlawn Middle School. It is not a neighborhood school. This system requires students to get up at 5 a.m. and leave their home and their neighborhood. They return in the late afternoon. It is very difficult for parents to attend school events. Because students are coming from various parts of the parish, they have often developed rivalries based on the areas they come from.