A measure that plans to divide public schools in Omaha, Neb. into three racially divided districts was passed through the state's legislature and signed into law by the governor on Thursday.

The proposed bill would create separate black, white and Hispanic school districts.

Proponents of the law say they would like these separate districts so their children can learn in an environment where they would be a majority. But opponents say it is state-sponsored segregation.

Constitutionality aside, these students will be learning among people of one race for the first 18 years of their lives and then what? Colleges, just like the rest of society, are not segregated, and these students who have never been exposed to another race will go through major culture shocks.

Everyone needs to interact with other races at young ages to increase and promote tolerance. Also, dividing school districts among racial lines will divide society and the economy as these students grow into adults.

This law is a major step backward, more than 40 years in the wrong direction.

While some studies have concluded that students of different races learn differently, there has to be an alternative to separating them from one another.

This law could easily just give the entire country a reason to segregate and discriminate once again -- something our country has been working against for many years.

And also, when school districts are separated into white, black and Hispanic, what becomes of those students who are Asian, Indian or multiracial? These children would have nowhere to go because no matter where they attended school, they would be learning as a minority each of the three environments.

The law and its supporters simply have not considered all of the aspects and consequences of institutionalizing another racial divide.