School Ends Racial Criteria For Homecoming Court (With Photo Gallery)

A longstanding tradition of electing two homecoming queens — one African-American and one not — came to an end Friday night at Escambia County High School under an agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice.

Jazmine McGinnis was named as the lone homecoming queen Friday night at the Atmore school.

For a photo gallery from the homecoming court and parade, click here.

Prior to this year, ECHS had used raced-based selection criteria to elect two homecoming queens and two homecoming attendants from each class.

To resolve the U.S. Justice Department’s concerns over these practices, the Escambia County (Ala.) Board of Education voluntarily adopted a district-wide non-discrimination policy for extracurricular activities. The policy ended the use of race-based election and selection criteria in all student activities. The agreement requires the district to fully implement and enforce its new non-discrimination policy, to notify parents and students of changes to student election practices and to provide compliance reports to the department for at least one year.

“It is time for the once common practice of segregating students by race in school activities to come to an end,” Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division Thomas E. Perez said after the agreement was reached.

Escambia County’s agreement with the DOJ also means the end of a similar practice at W.S. Neal High School of using race-based criteria for election of students to its Valentine’s Day courts.

Pictured top: Escambia County High School’s 2012 Homecoming Queen Jazmine McGinnis with ECHS Principal Zickeyous Byrd (left) and her father, Charles McGinnis (right). Photos by Marcella Wilson for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.