Decision striking down race-based school assignments brings joy and fear.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. _ Jan Boone of Huntersville, N.C., was delighted Friday morning when she heard that a judge had ordered an end to race-based assignments in Charlotte-Mecklenburg schools.

``I personally hope it will go back to neighborhood schools,'' she said.

In central Charlotte, Alma Neal, a mother and community activist at Boulevard Homes, had the opposite reaction.

``This is a sad day for low-income and minority children,'' she said. ``We're going right back to the exact same thing that we had in my generation.''

As news of U.S. District Judge Robert Potter's landmark decision spread Friday, many people cheered. Some mourned. And most, it seemed, had a strong opinion on whether schools should…