Segregated school meetings spur parents' outrage

cnn ^

[borghead]

ELK GROVE, California (AP) -- The principal at T.R. Smedberg Middle School held meetings last week for parents to discuss their children's scores on standardized tests. There were four meetings in all, with separate gatherings for whites, Asians, blacks and Hispanics.

[Mamzelle]

Actually, this sounds interesting, if bad policy. Wonder if minorities at an all-minority meeting could get beyond resentment and the blame-game if they weren't posturing for the general public?

[Argus]

I seem to recall that white supremacists back in the 60's made the same arguments that black and other minority separatists make now, i.e. that segregated schools are better for "colored people" because they're more comfortable being around their own culture. If we're going to have separate but equal PTA meetings, why stop there? The logical thing is to go back to segregated schools, period.

[RightOnTheLeftCoast]

I personally think this is a great idea. The reason for different ethnic groups' Academic performance differences--both positive (e.g., Asians) and negative--is, IMHO, largely social and cultural in nature. It makes perfect sense to occasionally bring groups together by ethnicity and discuss the social and cultural issues that impede their children's chances.

Having said that, the meetings should remain open-door, however. That is, although meetings should occasionally (IMHO) be structured and focused by ethnicity, under no circumstances should those of different ethnicity be unwelcome in any way. Nor should "ethnic issues" meetings entirely substitute for meetings at which all are invited.

[freedomination]

I have a solution, without prejudice...let parents attend any of three nights... First night English Second night Spanish Third night Ebonics Who cares about race.

[Reactionary]

It isn't merely social or cultural. If the reasons for low IQ and low achievement were that simple, the self-esteem movement and the whole project of the welfare state would show results. They don't - and I suspect that they never will.

Of course, after 100 years of beating the cultural and "environmentalist" paradigm of human inequality, there's little sign that it's going to stop anytime soon. Things have gotten so bad, in fact, that everyone runs and hides under the umbrella of culture and environment (now to the extent that retardation and disabilities are considered unique "cultures" or ways of life that cannot be judged to be necessarily bad).

Of course, what's lost in this handy Marxist mix is nature - the very opposite of society or culture.

[homeschool mama]

I'm going to do some checking on this. Think about it folks...if the principal had been white and pulled this stunt the outcry would be outrageous!

I *LIVE* in Elk Grove.

[usadave]

Moore said parents were free to attend any meeting, regardless of race, if scheduling was a problem. That, he said, kept the school in compliance with the Brown ruling.

I think it is absolutely despicable when a bureaucrat tries to get around a rule or law by pulling something like this. I'd be very curious to find out how the parents were informed of the meetings in the first place. Were they told that the meetings were segregated, but that a parent could still attend any of the meetings? Or did the principal just tell the parents which meeting he had scheduled for them to attend and then say "if you have any problems making it to that meeting, let me know", and hope that none of the parents would have to be moved to another meeting because of scheduling problems.

[tcostell]

several educational and civil rights groups -- including the NAACP, the ACLU and the National Education Association...

The NAACP and ACLU are considered educational groups? Because we know what the NEA does, and it certainly doesn't have anything to do with Education. (Unless "instructing" school employees to ask for more money is consdered "educating")

[caisson71]

Heads would roll, people would loose their jobs and Je$$e Jack$on would be there with his hands out for government interven$$ion.

[ElkGroveDan]

ping

[Gophack]

I also live in Elk Grove, and I am OUTRAGED by this (of course, this is one of the many reasons my kids go to private school).

What about mixed race marriages? Many of my married friends are Hispanic/White or Black/White or Asian/White or Hispanic/Asian ... does the husband and wife have to split up by race?

Either we have a segregated society or we don't. I vote for no segregation. It teaches children that some races are inferior/superior to others; it teaches children that it is OK to judge people by their skin color; it stresses our differences rather than our similarities.

I agree with you ... if this was a white principal, every minority, every liberal, and many conservatives would have called for his resignation.

[glory]

including the NAACP, the ACLU and the National Education Association, said they had never heard of such meetings before

Yeah, right, bet they don't know about the seperate graduation that Michigan state blacks are planning too at taxpayer expense I might add. Yeah, ok...