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Alleged Segregation At Goldsboro Schools Catches Edwards' Eye

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Goldsboro Schools
WAYNE COUNTY, N.C. — The frustration that some Goldsboro citizens have about school segregation has been growing in the past few months. It also prompted a formal civil rights complaint. Now, Washington, D.C., is taking notice.

Schools in the Goldsboro city limits are nearly 100 percent black. It is not a new problem, but it is getting new attention.

Sen. John Edwards has responded to a letter from a group called "Concerned Clergy" in Goldsboro. The group believes segregated schools mean black students get fewer resources.

Edwards said he appreciates the "frustration" some Wayne County citizens have regarding segregation in city schools. He adds that a "magnet program" could be one way to help solve the problem.

Edwards also said he has written Ken Marcus, the acting director of the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights, asking him to carefully consider the concerns.

Concerned Clergy, along with the NAACP, filed a civil rights complaint earlier this year in reference to the segregation issue.

A representative for Wayne County schools said the school system have not been contacted by Edwards or his office.

Edwards does have a hand in Goldsboro schools. There is a computer learning lab at Goldsboro High School run by a non-profit foundation set up in Edwards son's memory.

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