The ruling clarified the distinction between "de jure" and "de facto" segregation, confirming that segregation was allowed if it was not considered an explicit policy of each school district. In particular, the Court held that the school systems were not responsible for desegregation across district lines unless it could be shown that they had each deliberately engaged in a policy of segregation. The case did not expand on "Swann v. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education" (1971), the first major Supreme Court case concerning school busing.