NATION IN BRIEF : ALABAMA : Black Class Boycott Suspended for Tests

Civil rights activists in Selma, Ala., suspended a classroom boycott by black students until Jan. 16, after final exams, and announced plans to sue the majority white board that ousted the city’s first black school superintendent. One picket was arrested on the second day of the boycott, and the absentee rate dropped from 25% to 15%. Protest leader Hank Sanders said he would file suit challenging the act creating Selma’s school board. Supt. Norward Roussell’s contract was not renewed after an evaluation by board members accused him of being dictatorial and intimidating teachers. Roussell has called the evaluation unfair but opposes the boycott.