Georgia under pressure to respond to claims of illegally segregating students

It has been more than four months since the U.S. Department of Justice charged Georgia with illegally segregating thousands of students with behavioral or psychiatric disorders. A coalition of advocacy groups this week questioned why state leaders have done little since to address the problems.

The groups - which include the Carter Center, the ACLU and the Southern Center for Human Rights - lament that the state's public response to the allegations has come in a statement that "Georgia is complying with the law" and acting in the best interest of the students.

The Justice Department in July accused Georgia of  violating the Americans with Disabilities Act with the way it treats the 5,000 students in its GNETS program. It accused Georgia of leaving students in schools that are dirty, in poor repair and, in some cases, served as blacks-only facilities before court-ordered integration.

“Our groups have joined together because we believe this findings letter creates an opportunity for the state to better educate students with behavioral disabilities,” said Leslie Lipson, attorney with the Georgia Advocacy Office, which represents people with disabilities.

The groups signed a letter to Gov. Nathan Deal and Attorney General Sam Olens urging them to negotiate a settlement with the federal government rather than defend what they called an "ineffective educational program" rooted in 40-year-old methodology. (Check out the letter here).

State officials declined to comment.