02.21.2020 - By Texas Public Radio
Editor’s Note: Insensitive language frequently used in the mid-20th Century is included in this story. The Supreme Court ruled in 1954 that racial desegregation in public schools was unconstitutional . Some school districts were not swayed by Brown v. Board of Education and found ways to discriminate. Mexican-American students in Driscoll, Texas, were purposely held back to avoid “retarding” the white students. Students with Spanish surnames were made to take first grade for three years. It didn