Posted on 02/02/2008 3:34:09 PM PST by devane617
Leesburg -- Several Lee County High parents voiced their disapproval Friday, when the school held a Black History Assembly for the black students only. White students were told they could not attend.
Only about 19% of the Lee County High School student body is black. Principal Kevin Dowling said he held the black student only assembly to talk to them about test scores, so that none of them would be embarrassed.
In Georgia and in Lee County, the black students test scores as a whole are lagging behind white students. In the assembly, Dowling had black parents and teachers talk to the students about racial history in Lee County, to try to get motivate them to take advantage of their opportunities.
Dowling said looking back on the objections from whites, he should have made it more clear what the assembly was about. "I should have been more up front, at the beginning in the days beforehand about what we are going to do. I didn't do that. I made it more general, because I didn't want it to be a big issue," Dowling said.
Steve Jenkins is one of the parents who went to Lee County High today to talk to Dowling about the black only assembly, saying he was worried about the message being sent.
"Singling out somebody-- I'm tired of this black white thing," said Parent Steve Jenkins. "We need to get over that."
Jenkins said after talking with Dowling, he knows that the Principal was trying to do the right thing, but disagreed with the assembly. Dowling said the school will hold three other assemblies during the month on Black History, for all the students.
Clearly not. It also implies that no blacks are doing well academically and no whites aren’t doing well.
They should take aside each kid individually and do it in private.
These kids are having problems with their school work and the administration’s solution is to pull them out of their classrooms FOUR TIMES in a month for assemblies?!
It says it right there in the second paragraph of the article, to discuss test scores. Apparently, not being as smart as whitey is an embarrasment if your are black.
The left keeps telling ethnic minorities that racism that favors non-whites is okay. It makes one wonder what life is going to be like when whites are in the minority.
This tired old story is trotted out every year. It's the same everywhere, every year. Why keep beating a dead horse?
Why would you talk about test scores in groups? Test scores ought to be discussed with the person, who took the test. It’s no one elses business, what they got on the test. So, by having a ‘blacks only’ assembly to discuss black’s test scores isn’t going to embarass them? It’s more likely to increase racial solidarity and see how low they can go on the next test. The principal is an idiot in more ways than one.
What? Are they tryin to channel Terrel county?
LMAO !!.......Too funny !
So I take it they preached Black Prosperity Gospel - as preached in Obama’s “church” in Chicago? Stuff they don’t want the “Man” to hear about....
I remember my Sr. year in High school - at the time, the school was about 55% black, 45% white - we had a “motivational speaker” at a full student body assembly (about 1500 students). The speaker was a black man who was actually rather militant and came across much like Al Sharpton and his ilk - went on and one about African Americans and their rights and their needs, and the need to overcome...
There was nothing there for the white students - and the principal finally cut him off after he rattled on over an hour with this near-hate filled speech.
This was in 1987...
ping
Invite ALL of the students with scores below a certain level. Are not ALL students’ scores equally important?
Good ole Terrell County...Terrell Academy for me...This type of meeting could be held in Terrell easily...I believe the public school system there is more than 97% black, last I heard.
We need separation of School and State. I believe that Black Americans are forced into schools that they do not recognize as their own. Combine this with multi-culti, bigotry of low expectations and you have a recipe for lousy education of Black Americans. Black immigrants to the US from the Caribbean and from Africa know how worthless this Black Nationalism stuff is and they do very well in the schools.
American Blacks have been inculcated with this "fight the Man", I'm a victim, therefore I'm better than you attitude for decades. I saw this in the late '70s in public schools.
It's so old now, it stinks from head to toe.
Great post!
with apologies to Tom Lehrer
WALB got it wrong - as usual.
There was never anything said about embarrasing the kids. The program was led and organized by the director of Black History month activities, Sandra Parker, who is African-American. She is the one that thought up the idea - Dowling agreed to it.
The meeting was about the history of the education of African Americans in Lee County (speech given from Mrs. Jimmerson, a parent of several and a former LCHS student long ago) and how far things have come. Mrs. Parker then challenged the kids to be the best they can be, and Mr. Dowling spoke on the data about grad test scores, discipline and drop out rates. The truth is that AAs are still behind, though there has been progress made. That is all he was saying - nothing more. He also challenged the kids to do their best, both in and out of the class rooms. My understanding is that it was a very positive meeting.
With this as the subject matter, the decision was made not to have the white students (or hispanic, or asian) attend because they didn’t want to encourage any finger pointing across racial boundaries - especially when sharing the data. Simply put, the state “grades” schools on their grad test scores - and yes, the state counts each sub-group with more than 40 kids in it as a separate entity. It’s not enough that over 70% of the students taking a grad test passes: rather, each sub-group must also meet the standard issued by the state. AA students have not met this standard recently (though they have been close enough to allow for LC to make AYP), and the state’s standard is being raised again this year.
From what I understand, the reasons for the meeting centered on making public the knowledge that was shared, and to encourage those students to help in seeking ways to reduce the differences in the scores, as well as in the discpline data and the graduation rate. This had never been done before - and that might just be the reason why they chose to do it. Controversial? Certainly - but just sitting there allowing it to happen is not the way our educators work.
I have had my children in Lee County schools for years. I am happy to say that I will continue to do so.
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