Nashville Plan Schools/ Jones School

In Brown v. Topeka (1954) and Brown II (1955) the U.S. Supreme Court ordered public schools nationwide to end racial segregation “with all deliberate speed.” Nashville failed to comply, resulting in the Kelley v. Board of Education case (1955) and the 1957 enactment of a grade-per-year plan starting at the first grade. In 1963, the Maxwell v. Davidson County (1960) case was merged with the Kelley case. In 1998, the court deemed the Metro school system to be desegregated.

Named for long-time North Nashville principal R.W. Jones (1849-1933), Jones School opened in 1936 to replace the old Buena Vista School. Four African American first graders desegregated the school on Sept. 9, 1957. A crowd of white segregationists taunted them, and many white parents removed their students from the school. Members of the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) visited parents in the area, supporting those already enrolled and encouraging others to join them.