It seems the vocal opposition brought forth by approximately 800 parents at a February school board meeting regarding an all-day “white privilege” seminar has resulted in the cancellation of the event for the time being.
On February 28, New Trier High School held what the Chicago Tribune dubbed a “racial civil rights” day.
However, as reported by The College Fix’s Jorin Burkhart, considering the titles of some of the workshops — “Microaggressions: Not So Small,” “From Kareem to Kaepernick: Athlete Activists in the Modern Era,” and “Theft or Homage? A Discussion of Cultural Appropriation” — depicting the confabs as “civil rights”-related could be considered a stretch.
There was also the somewhat alarmingly titled “Western Bias in Science” (which sounds dangerously like what the University of Cape Town’s “Fallists” have protested):
Newton, Darwin, Curie… Can you think of a non-European or non-American scientist in history? Come examine the western bias in science education, its sources and its implications, in this interactive workshop.
Burkhart’s report also notes a workshop no longer listed in the original seminar catalog — “Blackenomics 101.” This session featured rapper and activist “John the Author” whose song for the talk, “BlackEnomics,” includes the line “Die motherfu*ker die.”
According to North Cook News, over 950 students opted to stay home “rather than attend the day of lectures by left-wing speakers […]”
Later that same day, those aforementioned 800 parents packed the board meeting to demonstrate their misgivings.
Then, earlier this month not-so coincidentally, New Trier District 203 Assistant Superintendent Tim Hayes announced there would be no repeat of the seminars next year.
North Cook News reports on the reaction:
[Hayes’] decision comes after a similar seminar was held at the end of February when hundreds of students opted out of the day’s activities and parents gathered at a school board meeting to oppose the unbalanced perspectives presented to their kids.
A member of the Parents of New Trier, an advocacy group created in early 2017 to urge Hayes and other district administrators to offer opposing viewpoints, told North Cook News were glad to hear of the school board’s decision.
“I think this is a wise move,” Betsy Hart said on behalf of the group. “What happened this year was so divisive — best to not repeat it.”
Hayes told the North Cook News planning for the event was too difficult. Instead, he is planning an extensive activity in the student’s homeroom for Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
Despite her stance on the event’s original intent, Hart supported the idea of a homeroom activity.
“It is wise to do a focus on Martin Luther King on MLK Day (during extended advisories) which is what is being considered,” Hart said. …
A survey conducted after the day’s events concluded showed only 5 percent of the attending students disagreed with the subject matter or wanted differing viewpoints, according to Hayes and the district. However, just about a quarter of students attended the day’s event and filled out the survey.
EAGNews.org notes the New Trier district has spent almost $200,000 related to “white privilege” matters since 2011, including $90,000 on Glenn Singleton’s Pacific Educational Group.
Read the full North Cook News and EAGNews stories.
MORE: Parents revolt after HS forces students to attend all-day social justice seminar
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