Where Civility Is a Moto, a School Integration Fight Turns Bitter
Dana Goldstein, NYT
Opponents say that redistricting and integration efforts by Maryland’s, Howard Country School Board is a destined-to-fail effort. Dr. Martirano, the Superintendent of Howard County Schools has proposed his Equity in Action Project. The policies would transfer 7,400 of the district’s 58,000 students to different schools in “an effort to chip away an at uncomfortable truth: Some of the county’s campuses have become havens for rich students, whole others serve large numbers of children whose families are struggling”. Either it urban or suburban, cities have been built on lines of segregation through a systematic process of exclusion. The racialized and economic inequity is so starkly reflected in the composition of schools which leads to the prevailing conversation circulating around the Howard County integration debate: civility, race, and self-preservation.
Howard County, like other districts around the country have begun to move toward equity through integration proposals but have been met with fierce opposition. Opponents insist it’s about the extra 2 miles their child may have to be on a bus, or they even argue that lower-income families will have an ever-harder time engaging with their child’s school if it’s farther away. I argue that in reality, we’re battling racist stereotypes, fear, and an especially pervasive racism that illusions an individual of power into thinking that racism and a racist policy (like school zoning) benefits them or even solidifies their power if it subordinates another.
The School Board is voting on Equity in Action come November 21st, 2019
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/12/us/howard-county-school-redistricting.html?searchResultPosition=3
3 comments:
I have so many issues with zoning students to schools, it denies the opportunity to better resources and experience. Just as you said all these policies are intentionally placed by racist policymakers. I'm assuming things like vouchers were put in place to combat these practices but having students venture out for better education doesn't sit well with me. They need to up the stakes of schools in the struggling neighborhoods as well.
I do agree that busing students to schools farther from where they live might be an issue for some parents, but it is not an excuse to allow systemic racism to continue. If it is an issue for a few parents than the schools need to rethink their models and provide alternative solutions. Redrawing or working to keep schools zones mixed ethnically and socioeconomically has proven successful in the past if the school district and communities are on board, which can be difficult to do when some parents feel their children will be getting "less".
I have a hard time declaring complete support for the rezoning that Howard County Public Schools approved. Still, I definitely understand the whys behind it and agree that something needs to be done to ensure equity among students. Admittedly, I have not followed this as much as I should have, and I still have a lot of questions. I wonder how specific students will be selected to transfer schools, will this create more hate among the county residents, how will this impact parental involvement, what happens if this plan flops, how long will it take to determine success or failure, etc. This is undoubtedly something that school districts across the U.S. will be following closely. Only time will tell if rezoning in such a drastic measure will begin to close the equity gap.
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