It is well known throughout Jefferson and Shelby counties that the Birmingham City school district is horrible. Hel, the very existence of that district is a large part of why JeffCo is splintered into so many smaller districts in the first place. I lived around there for years, and I can't name a single school district in the area that has more than about 10 schools in it. "White flight" is a major problem in every poor township in the greater Birmingham area as well, exacerbating race-related problems.
I saw Tarrant go from a relatively normal-looking mix of races (white and black students were represented in about the same proportions as in the general population in central AL) to more than 50% black in about 4-5 years.* Not surprisingly, there was a corresponding influx in really bad teachers, many of whom tended to believe that the black students were naturally delinquent and needed to be kept on a shorter leash. The bad teachers, in turn, led to a more dangerous school environment (because the one sure-fire way to make people violent is to perpetuate the stereotype that they are violent). A lot of decent teachers, including my mother, fled in droves because Tarrant's schools no longer felt safe. Etc.
The difference is that decent teachers (many of whom are black themselves--yay for giving black kids more positive role models!) are actually returning to Tarrant, slowly but surely, and starting to head off the damage that has been done. In Birmingham City, racism and authoritarianism have been allowed to run wild, to the point that I wouldn't bat an eyelash if actual guns were used against those poor kids. (Note to any BCSB employees who might be reading this: this is NOT a suggestion.)
So yeah, as depressing as this is, and as flagrant an abuse of civil rights, it doesn't surprise me in the slightest.
* In my mind, it seems like it took longer, but actually thinking about the dates allowed me to correct this.
