Which approach did Swann v. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education approve as a remedy for desegregation?

• A. Ending busing programs.
• B. Relying on voluntary desegregation only.
• C. Using busing to achieve racial integration.
• D. Doubling down on school funding formulas.

Answer: (C)

Swann tests the idea that desegregation remedies can be proactive and broad, not just voluntary efforts. The Court endorsed using busing to move students to different schools or even across district lines in order to achieve a racially integrated student body. This approach was seen as a legitimate tool to break down the persistent patterns of segregation and to move a school system toward unitary status, where race no longer determines where a student goes to school. By allowing transportation-based remedies, the Court acknowledged that simply hoping for voluntary desegregation or relying on funding changes wouldn’t reliably produce integration. So, busing as a means to achieve racial integration is the remedy approved.