The back and forth bickering between members of Durham’s
Board of Education could be the prelude to impassioned racial division.
The board is split, on racial lines, over a proposal
to create an all-male academy to target black and Hispanic students. White
board members are expressing concerns that the academy is too costly.
Black board members consider the approach essential given the current state
of black and Hispanic male students.
The board will vote on June 27, and many feel the
proposal will fail given the 4 to 3 white majority.
The concerns of white board members are perceived as
further validation that they don’t care about black students. It’s an old cry that forged a wedge in Durham
that landed the city the label black sheep of North Carolina by the Greensboro News & Record. It was an era of extreme tension that resulted
in people being arrested during school board meetings for protesting against an
assumed racist agenda.
Things could get worse if the current board refuses to
see beyond counting the cost related to the forming of an all-male school. If white board members want to make this
about cost, they will reap the fury of a community
disgusted with a lack of response to growing problems among black and brown
boys.
White board members can’t hide behind the net of cost restraints. The perception of racial insensitivity is the
subject of a U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights investigation
into whether Durham Public Schools disciplines black students and students with
disabilities more than others. The
mounting of evidence suggest the need for an alternative approach, and the
failure to consider the all-mail academy will send a message that will hamper
the board’s ability to function beyond the assumption of racism.
The lawsuit against DPS was filed by the Advocates for
Children’s Services, a project of Legal Aid of North Carolina, and the Center
for Civil Rights Remedies at the Civil Rights Project of UCLA. The lawsuit alleges that DPS suspends black students
at more than four times the rate of white students. The complaint also claims DPS suspended 17
percent of all students with disabilities, compared with 8.4 percent of
students without disabilities.
The lawsuit addresses a 15-year old eighth-grader who
started failing classes after being suspended 24 days during the 2011-12 school
year due to behavior linked to mental issues.
"At no point did DPS discuss or consider
substantive ways to address his problem behaviors without resorting to the
punitive measure of out-of-school suspension. The school also failed to provide
(him) with any education services while he was suspended, resulting in his
falling even farther behind," the complaint states.
An all-male academy could be used to offset some of
the concerns stated in the complaint.
“This is a very resource-intensive endeavor that would
require more money than what follows a student,” Leigh Bordley, member of the school
board, stated at a recent town meeting to discuss the proposal. “To be true to
the success of these types of schools, we’ll need that additional funding.”
Bordley went on to claim the R.N. Harris Integrated
Arts/Core Knowledge Magnet School serves the same purpose as the proposed
all-male academy.
“We are doing it,” Bordley argued. “We’re having
success there and we’re not replicating it. I want our resources to go to our
neediest children. It takes more than the funds that follow a student to make
this successful.”
Bordley’s conjecture is rooted in the type of
hyperbole that leaves one wondering if she lives with her head in the
sand. Discussions related to the
education of black boys in Durham are held within a context that assumes black
boys are playing on an equal playing field.
Something is wrong, and Bordley and her cohorts are making things worse
by making assumptions that make it seem they have never taken a step into the
world of black male youth.
Eric Becoats, DPS superintendent, stressed the
importance of taking extra steps to assure black and brown boys don’t fall
through the cracks. Heidi Carter, board chair for DPS, stated she needs more
data before moving forward.
Excuse me. More
data? Suspensions, dropouts and low academic performance aren’t enough data to
support pulling your head from the sand to seek a way to rescue these boys.
The school board was handed extensive data that proves
the success of all-male schools across the county. Carter asked for more. Why do black boys always need more to get a
chance to succeed?
Minnie Forte-Brown,
the normally calm and reconciliatory board vice chair, almost busted a fuse
when begging board members to think outside the box.
“We know that we have children who are drowning. But
what are we going to do to help them?” Forte-Brown said. “I want you to think
and stop being scared. You’ve got to step out on faith. We’ve had kitchen table
conversations, but we’ve never had the community that’s before you today.”
Amen!
Forte-Brown asked the board to do something. “If it
works, it works. If it fails, it fails. But to not do it is unconscionable.”
Board member Omega Curtis Parker asked members not to
discount the plan based on cost.
“We can’t stop living or educating these children
because times are hard,” she said. “It’s our responsibility to do what we can
for our constituency. It’s been presented to us and funds have been identified.
But there is a particular segment of our community that needs to be serves, who
tend to be minority. Why are we so much against what’s good for our children?”
Becoats continues to emphasize the money is there to
support the all-male academy, and that money will not be pulled from existing
schools. He says the school will mirror
the Durham School of the Arts and City Medicine Academy in offering small
classes with themed instruction.
It hasn’t been enough to sway white board members to
consider what the black community has been feeling for years. From Bill Bell, the mayor, to countless black
community leaders – something has to be done before it is too late.
It may not be racist for the white board members to
vote against this proposal, but, if they do, it will be virtually impossible
for the black community to ever support their right to speak on the behalf of
black children.
Look for the turning back of the clock.
