NATCHEZ — The Concordia Parish School Board authorized its attorney to notify the federal courts that Delta Charter School is out of compliance with the district’s desegregation order.

“This (vote was) to file a motion with the court to say, ‘They are not in compliance, what are you going to do about it?’” Concordia Parish Superintendent of Schools Paul Nelson said.

Concordia Parish schools have been under a desegregation order since 1969.

When Delta Charter School opened at the beginning of the academic year, the school’s administration agreed to have a student population that reflected — within a 10 percent variance — the racial makeup of the Concordia Parish school district, Nelson said.

The district’s racial makeup is approximately 50 percent white, 50 percent black, but the student makeup at Delta Charter is approximately 86 percent white and 14 percent black, Nelson said.

“When they opened, the school board took a ‘no position’ stance toward them as long as they were at least 40-60 black-white (in racial makeup),” Nelson said. “We have a court order we have to follow, and we expect them to follow those rules as well.”

Delta Charter School opened under a law that allows the school to receive public funds from the Concordia Parish district, but allows it to operate independently of the parish school board.

No representative of Delta Charter School was present at Thursday’s meeting, and School Director Clovis Christman could not be reached by phone Thursday.

Craig Jackson, a founding member of Delta Charter’s school board, was also unavailable for comment.