Pleasanton School Integration

Pleasanton School District began educating African American children in 1913 with the creation of the Abraham Lincoln School. By 1955, students from the Lincoln School and white students were participating in football workouts together and scheduling basketball games. In 1956, African American citizens considered the Lincoln School inadequate and petitioned for improvements. In 1957, Pleasanton school officials and residents weighed the cost of building a new school for African Americans and the possibility of losing state funding and accreditation if no action was taken. Agreeing that the Lincoln School was not an acceptable option, they chose to integrate once the new high school and elementary school under construction were completed. At a time when opposition to school integration in Texas was very apparent and House Bill 65 abolished the right of school trustees to integrate without a community petition and vote, the Pleasanton community provided the petition and held a vote on October 26, 1957. By a vote of 343 to 88, Pleasanton School District became the first integrated school under House Bill 65. On November 1, 1957, nine black students entered the new high school with several media outlets present to record the event. Unlike many other integrated institutions, Pleasanton High School recorded no incidents of violence, and the students were welcomed by their white classmates, peacefully integrating the school and giving African Americans the opportunity of a better education for their children.

Pleasanton, Texas · United States