San Jose District Accused of Racism over Photo Displays in Schools
CBS San Francisco, May 30, 2012
Controversy is brewing at a San Jose school district over displays of African-American and Latino boys placed in teacher’s meeting rooms. While the district has called it a way to make sure no child is left behind, some parents are calling it racism.
A parent contacted CBS 5 after discovering the display inside a meeting room at Julia Baldwin Elementary. The display consisted of photos of African-American and Latino boys, next to the slogan “Keeping Our Black and Brown Boys in Mind.”
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We’re told that Baldin principal Joyce Millner instructed her staff the pictures would go up. Milner, who is African-American, did not respond to requests for comment Wednesday night.
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The district said they are trying to close the achievement gap of African-American and Latino boys compared to Caucasian and Asian-American boys.
Teachers at all 19 campuses in the Oak Grove School District were asked to identify black and Latino boys, to boost them from basic to advanced.
CBS 5 has learned teachers held three separate meetings with administrators, fighting to remove the pictures and slogan. {snip}
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Oak Grove Superintendent Tony Garcia also declined an on-camera interview. In an e-mail to CBS 5, he said, “We are proud of the fact that we openly discuss race and its impact on student success…” He went on to say that the district has specific focal students that all staff strives to know by name and face, to close the achievement gap.
