Shawnee Mission School District - History

History

The different districts that unified into the Shawnee Mission School District in 1969 are the Greenwood Dist #39, Shawnee Dist #22, Lenexa Dist #500, Districts #10 & #90, Valley View Dist #49, Overland Park Dist #10, Linwood Dist #1, Roesland Dist #92, Merriam Dist #99, Antioch Dist #61, Westwood View Dist #93, Prairie Dist #44, and Corinth Dist. #82. South Park Elementary school, in Merriam, Kansas played a role in school desegregation prior to the unification of the Shawnee Mission School District in 1971. South Park opened in 1948 for white students, leaving African-American students in the inadequate Walker Elementary using an outdated curriculum. Corinthian Nutter, an African-American teacher, resigned in protest and taught the students from her home. 1949's Webb v. School District 90 case paved the way for Brown v. Topeka Board of Education five years later. Skyline Elementary School was presumed to be named as such because you could see the Kansas City, Missouri's skyline from the area around the school at the time. McAuliffe Elementary School in Lenexa, Kansas was one of the first schools in the nation to open named in honor of Christa McAuliffe.The district converted from 7-8-9 Junior High model to the 7-8 Middle School model in 1986. The current superintendent is Dr. Gene Johnson.

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