Rantz: School district to host racially segregated meetings to pick superintendent, promote equity

One Washington school district is looking for a new superintendent, and they’re inviting parents and guardians to weigh in. But their meetings are intended to segregate participants by race.

Issaquah School District Superintendent Ron Thiele is retiring, and the school board is looking for his replacement. The board is holding three separate meetings this month to hear from parents and guardians. But the first meeting makes it very clear who should attend.

The district bulletin lists the meeting in the following way: “Meeting for Parents/Guardians of Color and Parents/Guardians with Students of Color to Give Input About Superintendent Search, 6 p.m., Zoom.”

The other two meetings are listed this way: “Meetings for Parents/Guardians to Give Input About Superintendent Search, 9 a.m., 2 p.m., 6 p.m., Zoom.”

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Isn’t racial segregation wrong?

The intent of the meetings is quite clear.

If you’re a white parent, you ought to skip the first meeting. It’s not for you. You’re the wrong skin color. There’s a caveat if you have a child who is a racial minority. Then, you may attend. Otherwise, all white parents should attend one of the other two meetings.

Issaquah School District spokesperson Lesha Engels argues the meeting that’s listed as “for Parents/Guardians of Color” isn’t an example of racially segregated meetings.

“All parents are welcome to attend any of the 4 parent meetings, they are not segregated,” Engels emailed the Jason Rantz Show on KTTH. “The district’s intent is to provide multiple opportunities for all members of our community to voice their thoughts.”

All parents are welcome to attend the meeting labeled “for Parents/Guardians of Color?” That’s odd: why is it labeled that way if white parents of white students can attend? It sure seems like racially segregated meetings to me.

“It does not say nor is it labeled that individuals of any race may not attend any of the meetings,” Engels said, thinking she’s got the upper hand in the semantics game she’s playing. “The fact shared before remains: all parents are welcome to attend any of the 4 parent meetings.”

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No, all parents aren’t ‘welcome’ to attend.

Engels’ statement is transparently incompetent spin. It’s almost like she’s not trying.

As she pretends it’s not controversial and racist to hold meetings on the basis of skin color, would she defend a meeting listed “for Parents/Guardians of Whiteness?” In fact, shouldn’t there be a meeting exclusively for white parents? After all, if the content of these meetings is catered toward “parents of color,” then white parents aren’t getting information tailormade for them, right?

Of course, that very notion is ridiculous — as much as the position that a meeting should be exclusive to “parents of color.” The school would never do that because it’s racist. But when white privileged parents are the victims? Well, intersectional politics says it’s justified in the name of equity.

Engels’ semantics games are almost certainly driven by the law: They can’t legally discriminate against parents on the basis of race. But they can, they assume, title meetings in ways that force white parents to self-select out of the meetings. They may not be able to legally discriminate, and obviously won’t admit that’s their intent in writing, but they can strongly imply that white people aren’t welcome.

Just be honest: This is wrong

The Issaquah School District, like all other districts, is filled with progressive, race-obsessed activists. These meetings reflect their far-left positions.

The Black Lives Matter movement has pushed them into a fringe, partisan activism that views all people by their identities. They believe Black parents do not feel safe around white parents because they view Black Americans as weak, hypersensitive, and too submissive. They believe Black children need something different than white children.

These positions are racist. Progressive activists who see nothing but race are too.

This is very clearly wrong. It’s disturbing and sad that the school can’t admit it. But when you’re so indoctrinated by the race-obsessed cause, you’re blinded to the reality. And isn’t it ironic that the Left keeps dividing people by race, all in the name of equity?

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