School plans to separate students by race during talks on social justice, per report

NEW YORK CITY (TND) — A middle school in New York City reportedly intends to racially segregate students during discussions it plans to hold next week on topics related to social justice and identity.

The discussions planned for Nov. 23 – 24 will encourage students to “explore the question ‘How do our racial identities influence our experiences?’ in affinity groups,” according to a letter sent to parents by the school’s principal, which was obtained by The New York Post.

According to The Post’s reporting, students in 7th and 8th grades will choose one of five categories to belong to: White, Asian, African-American, Hispanic or multi-racial. Each category is separate, except for the African-American and Hispanic categories which are grouped together. The school reportedly created an additional group for anyone uncomfortable with the formatting of the exercises.

“This optional program was developed in close coordination with both the School Leadership Team, PTA and families,” NYC Department of Education spokesperson Nathaniel Styer told The Post. He added that it was “abundantly clear to both students and parents that anyone can opt-out of this two-day celebration if they desire.”

A parent of the school acknowledged that such “affinity groups” can be problematic, The Post reported, but added that she thought teachers could handle the situations appropriately. However, other parents were more bothered by the racial sorting. “I think a lot of us feel like this is too much,” another parent said, according to The Post. “But most parents are too afraid to say anything at this point. Why are we separating our kids like this?”

The Manhattan-based school told parents that the exercises were being conducted to “undo the legacy of racism and oppression in this country that impacts our school community,” The Post reported.

The school’s principal said the further emphasis on race is a result of it being a much talked about subject in contemporary society, according to The Post. “Students are talking about it since race has become a popular topic on social media, or parents are talking even more about it at home due to the recent incidents across the nation,” the principal wrote in her email to parents, according to The Post.