Racist, Sexist Remarks Put Dallas Board on Edge

By Peter Schmidt

The Dallas school board has become mired in scandal, racial strife, and lawsuits--mostly as a result of tape recordings of its members' own words.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is investigating the possibility that board members were the victims of illegal wiretaps. And the school board adopted a resolution last week condemning all forms of bigotry and declaring its intent to craft a major initiative to address the problem.

The controversy stems from a tape of the private telephone calls of a board member, Dan Peavy, that was anonymously distributed in September to at least...