This paper will explore some of the pedagogical, social and political issues surrounding a 1991 decision to dose an urban school servicing Aboriginal students in the Northern Territory. In order to contextualise the discussion, a brief description of recent State and Federal government policy documents will be provided, along with a description of the school. This will be followed by an analysis of the decision and subsequent events. Some comparisons will be made with similar events and other court cases in Australia and overseas. This discussion highlights the conflict between the Federal government's policy of self-determination and the Territory government's assimilationist practices as well as the discourses used to override the parents' aspirations to keep the school open.