Statement by the President Reviewing Progress in the Desegregation of Schools.

THE OPENING of schools this week and next is a hopeful time for this Nation. It brings heartening evidence of the efforts of Governors, school officials, and other citizens to assure that respect for law remains a vigorous force everywhere in the country.

In accordance with the letter and spirit of the Civil Rights Act, your Government has sought to bring about voluntary compliance with its provisions. The results have been deeply encouraging.

Of the more than 5,000 school districts in 17 Southern and Border States, 4,463--88 percent--are making preparations to comply. This represents an increase of 291 school districts since 1 week ago.

In the 7 Southern States of Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia, 538 school districts today are in compliance, compared to 317 a week ago.

A staff of 117 men and women in the U.S. Office of Education, working around the clock and over weekends, is assisting local school districts in achieving acceptable plans.

One week ago there were 172 school districts which had taken no action to meet the requirements of the Civil Rights Act. Today the figure is 135--and it is shrinking rapidly.

The adoption of an acceptable desegregation plan, of course, is only a beginning. The coming weeks--and years--will demand of local officials and concerned citizens much patience and dedicated effort if change is to be achieved successfully and if plans are to be translated into performance.

I have directed the Office of Education to stand ready day and night to work toward solutions in the remaining communities which have not submitted plans or whose plans have not yet been accepted.

I strongly urge every responsible State official, school officer, and local official who cherishes the future of our children to lose no time in working for progress where progress is needed. There is still time--and the results of your labors can mean the difference, in many cases, between full educational opportunity for all and the tragedy of lost opportunity. Certainly none of us wants to see this Nation's educational future clouded by delay, indifference, or neglect.

I congratulate all who have had a part in this effort. Their thanks will come, ultimately, from a generation of hopeful young Americans--and from a Nation with a deep reverence for the rule of law.