What was the primary effect of Brown v. Board on public schools?

• A. Segregation in schools was upheld
• B. Segregation in schools was unconstitutional under the Equal Protection Clause
• C. Segregation allowed if facilities are equal
• D. The decision applied only to colleges

Answer: (B)

Public school segregation violates the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. Brown v. Board of Education held that separating students by race creates a sense of inferiority that undermines educational opportunities and is inherently unequal, overturning the earlier Plessy v. Ferguson justification of “separate but equal.” By ruling that separate schools are inherently unequal, the decision struck down state laws mandating racial segregation in public education and paved the way for desegregation across the country, with implementation to follow in subsequent rulings. It’s focused on public elementary and secondary education, and it does not limit its scope to colleges.