<p>D2 is a student in the IB program at a local public school. School and neighborhood are overwhelmingly black, but there haven’t been racial issues and it’s a much sought-after school for a lot of good reasons. (I’ve posted about the go-getter principal, who is a black woman.)</p>
<p>Earlier this week, D and the other NHS members gave tours of the school and did the usual open house stuff. I came too early to pick her up, so I was able to witness the goings on.</p>
<p>Pairs of students were assigned groups of families to tour and answer questions. Most of the groups were, of course, comprised of black families, while several of the tour guides were white. Three times that I personally witnessed (and I heard of a couple of other examples from other parents who were there), my daughter was told (politely but firmly) that as a white girl, she could offer no insight or information worthwhile to a student of color and, therefore, those families refused to tour with her. They were then pretty upset that there weren’t enough tour guides of color (they were out on tour at that point, having left promptly). There was then a conversation among a group of parents (again, polite but firm) that “these kids” (meaning the IB kid) shouldn’t be brought into a school that is at 175% capacity and that they wanted to work with the PTA to get rid of that program. </p>
<p>My kid enjoys giving the tours and is proud of her school. She was excited to finally be an NHS member and thus eligible, but came home in tears. What, if anything, should I do or say to the school or to my daughter? She’s feeling pretty yucky.</p>
<p>Wow… can you imagine the uproar if the situation were reversed (white families refusing to tour with black tour guides)?</p>
<p>I would speak to the principal immediately. These parents need to be educated. Also, there should have been an adult member of the faculty there to firmly but politely state that “ALL of our tour guides are trained and qualify to answer your questions about our school and are eager to help you. If you are not interested in hearing from a tour guide based on their race, then we’re not interested in you applying to our high school.”</p>
<p>I feel for your D. My D also loves to give tours of her school, and if someone told her she wasn’t qualified to do that based on her looks… In 2008, no less. Wow.</p>
<p>I am sorry your D had to live through that, I remember how proud/happy by D was to give the tours at her HS. I wonder if this is the FIRST year that it has happened? If not, then someone dropped the ball in not warning the students on what to do. I know my D had to practice several scenarios that (thankfully) didn’t happen to her, but that had happened in prior years. </p>
<p>So yes, principal NEEDS to know and the information NEEDS to get communicated down to the students next year.</p>
<p>That’s good advice. I hadn’t even thought of next year.
I’m not sure if this has ever happened before, but I do know that overcrowding is substantially worse than in prior years.</p>
<p>Definitely the principal needs to know. What a lousy experience for your D and any other kids involved.</p>
<p>The only thing that I can think of that is positive that could emerge from this is that your D and the other kids could use it to gain insight into the experience of prejudice, and why it is so important to NOT think and act from that perspective.</p>