Washington’s Centennial Elementary backpedals minority-only club after parent outrageBy Katherine Donlevy
February 7, 2023
A Washington elementary school had planned on banning white students from a new “safe space” club until backlash forced it to reconsider segregating its fifth-graders.
Centennial Elementary in Olympia had kicked off the calendar year with a new “Black, Indigenous, People of Color” student group for fifth-graders that only accepted its minority students, according to an email shared by Rep. Jim Walsh (R-Washington).
“At this time, this group is limited to students who identify as BIPOC,” Principal Shannon Ritter wrote in the January email.
“For these students, this space allows them to hang out, check-in and possibly talk about their experiences as a student in the minority as they build community, connections and confidence.”
“It is primarily a safe space for them.”
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Parents and adult community members condemned the initiative, claiming it was only furthering the racial divides it hoped to eliminate.
“How can they advance racial justice, as they claim, by creating racial injustices? This whole way of thinking is so backwards and wrong. What happen (sic) to be kind and treat others with respect?” parent Denise Frank wrote in one of the hundreds of comments left under Walsh’s initial Facebook post.
“How is this not racism when kids are joining a group solely based on race/skin color?” Rebecca Weisenhaus questioned.
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Source:
https://nypost.com/2023/02/07/washingtons-centennial-elementary-backpedals-minority-only-club-after-outrage/
