Teachers and administrators at Centennial Elementary School have done nothing wrong, but we cannot say the same for the adults who are making the school a target for conservative anger.
That anger manifested itself this week when a man pretending to be a father of a future student gained entry to the school and then berated school staff because of an effort to teach students about the Black Lives Matter movement.
“Racial and educational equity is our collective responsibility and while Centennial has been a flashpoint for this conversation, in Denver Public Schools, equity is a core value for us,” said Tony Smith, the head of the district’s diversity and inclusion programs.
Smith said the community has rallied around the teachers, staff and students because they are “committed to the idea that racial equity is important.”
Those who have riled up this anger at an elementary school’s principal and staff are the villains in this story, not those who are in good faith attempting to create a welcoming and inclusive public school that serves the needs of all students regardless of race, gender, nationality, religion or sexual orientation. It is not reverse discrimination to provide additional activities targeted to a historically disadvantaged group.
We’re looking at you, Christopher F. Rufo, who sparked this whole ugly episode when he tweeted a photo of the school’s sign for a “families of color playground night” and called it “racially segregated playtime — for equity.”
University of Denver law professor Dave Kopel piled on, accusing the school on Twitter of violating the Colorado Constitution’s stipulation that “nor shall any distinction or classification of pupils be made on account of race or color.”
The national group Parents Defending Education have exploited racial tensions by saying Centennial and other schools are “treating and separating students on the basis of race,” as though white students are in any way disadvantaged by efforts to create events targeted to minority students or that teach equity.
The reality is Denver elementary schools are doing an excellent job presenting age-appropriate curricula on sensitive subjects that need to be introduced. An elementary school student should know that slavery was evil and wrong and practiced in America. An elementary school student should understand that at one time Black students were not allowed to attend public schools. And an elementary school student should know that while the world is a better place and moving toward justice and equality, there is still much progress to be made.
Elementary schools, of course, are introducing concepts of America’s founding — the founding fathers, Independence Day, American symbols, a free republic founded on a functioning democracy. But also, schools are providing a little dose of history — Martin Luther King Jr. was killed for advocating that Black Americans receive the same basic human rights as white Americans.
It can be uncomfortable to talk to young children about the evils of racism, antisemitism, homophobia, and sexism. No one wants to explain the Holocaust to a young child. Teachers are professionals who have dedicated their lives to the next generation and they are equipped to handle these difficult historical and social studies topics. They are not some sort of liberal enemy indoctrinating students or making students feel guilty for their privileges – who would do such a thing?
Parents who are compelled to put real effort into convincing others that “the subversion of public school education has accelerated,” like those Coloradans working with No Left Turn in Education, are driven by a desire to control what their students are being taught. These folks accuse America’s schools of abandoning liberal education where different points of view are presented and debated, but really they are the ones who balk at their children being taught “lessons on equity and race” or about different sexual orientations. They are the illiberal thought police who would really rather their children not be exposed to the picture book “Ruby Bridges Goes to School.”
Public schools and education are not the enemies of these parents. Rather it’s our progression toward a society that openly embraces that which makes us different.
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