One Mold Charters Can't Break ; These Public Schools Could Be Swamped by Often-Costly and Inflexible Federal Regulations

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The United Charter School is designed to serve 1,200 children in a low-income neighborhood in Baton Rouge, La. It is widely supported by area residents, who are almost entirely African- American. It's in compliance with the Louisiana state charter law.

Yet the school's doors remain shut. The reason: United Charter runs afoul of a federal desegregation order requiring a racial balance in the parish's public schools. The US Department of Justice argues that the school will not attract enough white students.

The case has created a situation some call absurd. "You won't find 10 people in this parish, black or white, who are in agreement with what's being …