![]() The district offered a similar response to the latest allegations of racial segregation - but this time its statement comes with an apology. ![]() “MMSD is committed to holding students at the center, and counter to WILL’s narratives, this is an effort to provide a safe space for students to have conversations they feel they need, and not centered on what adults want,” the spokesman said in July. Tim LeMonds, the school district’s public information officer at the time, said no student was told which group to attend, and attendance was not mandatory. The school used the same affinity group model. It’s prohibited under state law as well. West High School’s principal did not publicly apologize for that incident. 23, WILL explained to Boran that racial segregation is illegal under federal law, specifically Title V. That criticism applies to the recent Zoom sessions for parents. The law firm pointed out that West’s broad classification of the high school’s student body into “white students” and “students of color” only served to alienate students who do not fit neatly into the racial categories. ![]() The purpose of the separate but equal sessions was to “maximize level of emotional safety and security,” according to the email. “Please join the Zoom space where you most closely identify,” an email obtained by WILL advised. Madison West hosted “ virtual discussion spaces” for students and staff last summer to “process the pain our community is feeling at this present moment” and “work towards being an anti-racist community.” It provided links for two separate Zoom calls - one for white students and one for nonwhite students. Last week’s invitation marks the second time in the past year that WILL has sent the school district a warning letter alleging segregation in education. West High School Principal Karen Boran has issued an apology, stating the message “did not convey our intention in a manner that supports our core values.“ She added that the wording in the communication “lacked clarity.” The school’s intention, Boran said, was to provide parents “affinity spaces” in which to safely discuss police brutality against people who aren’t white. It is our hope that the leadership at MMSD take this opportunity to commit the school district to the principle of equality and end all racial segregation immediately,” said Dan Lennington, WILL deputy counsel. “Racial segregation is never beneficial or benign. ![]() The school email asserts it is “very necessary to have space for our families to discuss and process.” It then provides two different Zoom links one for parents “of color,” the other for white parents. ![]()
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