Year of total integration
1970.
Chattahoochee County lost federal funds in 1968 for its failure to push integration. The March 10, 1968 Columbus Ledger said only eight Black students were at the all-grades Cusseta High. Two white teachers were at Cusseta Industrial. That funding loss was not the worst thing to happen to Chattahoochee County.
Hours before school began for 1969-70, Cusseta High's main building burned down, with arson suspected after fireplugs were found blocked. With few options for housing students, days later Chattahoochee County reached an agreement with Marion County to accept grades 4-12.
Problem briefly solved, but this left a mess to figure out after Marion said it would not take the students for 1970-71. With feds demanding total integration, Chattahoochee needed somewhere large enough for everybody and as cheaply as possible.
At first, Chattahoochee requested Muscogee County take all the students, in all grades. Muscogee declined, as its schools were already very overcrowded.
The solution was to build small additions and add temporary rooms at what was left of Cusseta's schools. Cusseta Industrial's campus was to house grades 1-6, with Cusseta High's old and temporary buildings for 7-12. Cusseta did travel to Bibb City's Comer Auditorium for home basketball games.
In one more change in a sea of seemingly millions for the county, the totally integrated Cusseta High had the nickname of Cougars.
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