A background summary is offered by the St. Louis, Missouri, Board of Education in rebuttal to statements critical of the desegregation policies and practices of the Board and the school administration. The Board has adopted a desegregation program shortly after the 1954 Supreme Court decision. The program adhered to an neighborhood school policy but also redrew school boundaries which had existed under the segregated school system. The document consists of short statements outlining the criticisms and the Board's replies, some of which contain extensive tabular data. (NH)