Hyde Park High School
Introduction
Text-to-speech Audio
This former high school; opened until 2006 was the site of much violence throughout the mid 1970s. Many students fought multiple times over desegregation and the Boston bussing crisis. As desegregation eventually became the norm, this school still had an alarming amount of Black children compared to whites. Found in the southern part of Boston, this school is the site of rich history involving Black civil rights and education.
Images
A photo of Hyde Park High School
Backstory and Context
Text-to-speech Audio
Hyde Park High School experienced much trauma during the mid 1970s which resulted in the assault and arrest of many different students: Black and white. It started on January 9th, 1975, when a group of school kids got into a fist fight on the first floor hallway of the school. As a result of this brawl, police were called and 15 students were arrested; 13 Black and 2 white. These small fights were not uncommon at all during this period and many times, schools were not at full capacity. In September of 1974, the Hyde Park School system saw an attendance that was 35% below normal. And this wasn't even too bad.
It's important to remember that the neighborhood of Hyde Park was predominantly small, white families that were against the bussing situation. Initially in 1974, these families took to a peaceful, non-violent approach, and simply boycotted busing by not sending their kids to school. According to the New York Times, at one point in 1974, attendance at local Hyde Park schools was only about 50%. However, things did eventually get violent. After the small fist fight between 15 students in January 1975, a year later in January of 1976, a huge fight broke out at Hyde Park High School once again. A full out war began throughout the entire school. In total, 1300 Black and white students fought each other that day.
These small fights and bigger fights were not uncommon during this period. Many students were extremely scared for their own lives and well-being. Racial slurs, assaults, ambulances carrying kids to school, and buses being stoned made this environment almost impossible to learn in. Unfortunately it took a while for things to get better. A student at Hyde Park High, Marsha-Joan Galvin, stated that before desegregation, she'd had some Black friends. However when busing hit, racial politics pushed people to opposite sides resulting in a complete collapse of the system.
Even though the United States eventually saw segregation of schools as unconstitutional, something quite surprising was apparent in Hyde Park High School. According to publicschoolreview.com, at the time of its close in 2006, the minority enrollment at the school was 94% of the student body with the majority being Black. The Massachusetts state average is 37%
It's important to remember that the neighborhood of Hyde Park was predominantly small, white families that were against the bussing situation. Initially in 1974, these families took to a peaceful, non-violent approach, and simply boycotted busing by not sending their kids to school. According to the New York Times, at one point in 1974, attendance at local Hyde Park schools was only about 50%. However, things did eventually get violent. After the small fist fight between 15 students in January 1975, a year later in January of 1976, a huge fight broke out at Hyde Park High School once again. A full out war began throughout the entire school. In total, 1300 Black and white students fought each other that day.
These small fights and bigger fights were not uncommon during this period. Many students were extremely scared for their own lives and well-being. Racial slurs, assaults, ambulances carrying kids to school, and buses being stoned made this environment almost impossible to learn in. Unfortunately it took a while for things to get better. A student at Hyde Park High, Marsha-Joan Galvin, stated that before desegregation, she'd had some Black friends. However when busing hit, racial politics pushed people to opposite sides resulting in a complete collapse of the system.
Even though the United States eventually saw segregation of schools as unconstitutional, something quite surprising was apparent in Hyde Park High School. According to publicschoolreview.com, at the time of its close in 2006, the minority enrollment at the school was 94% of the student body with the majority being Black. The Massachusetts state average is 37%
Sources
Kifner, John. "VIOLENCE MARS BUSING IN BOSTON." The New York Times. September 13, 1974. Accessed October 02, 2018. https://www.nytimes.com/1974/09/13/archives/violence-mars-busing-in-boston-mayor-restricts-gatherings-to.html.
Rudick, Dina. "For Hyde Park Student, a Life Rerouted by School Busing in 1974 - The Boston Globe." BostonGlobe.com. November 30, 2014. Accessed October 02, 2018. https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2014/11/30/tracing-lives-shapedbusingboston/vxviumhRVnWtgm1b8hcfqJ/story.html.
"Hyde Park High School (Closed 2006) Profile (2018-19) | Hyde Park, MA." PublicSchoolReview.com. Accessed October 03, 2018. https://www.publicschoolreview.com/hyde-park-high-school-profile.
Rudick, Dina. "For Hyde Park Student, a Life Rerouted by School Busing in 1974 - The Boston Globe." BostonGlobe.com. November 30, 2014. Accessed October 02, 2018. https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2014/11/30/tracing-lives-shapedbusingboston/vxviumhRVnWtgm1b8hcfqJ/story.html.
"Hyde Park High School (Closed 2006) Profile (2018-19) | Hyde Park, MA." PublicSchoolReview.com. Accessed October 03, 2018. https://www.publicschoolreview.com/hyde-park-high-school-profile.