Survey on ‘White Privilege’ is posted in Manhattan school with almost no white students amid claims the questionnaire aimed to ‘inflame tensions’
- ‘White privilege exercise’ found on noticeboard of school by city worker
- Claims it was left to ‘inflame tensions’ at the poor-performing teaching center
- Just three per cent of the 520 students are recorded as being white
- Survey spotted at Life Sciences Secondary School in Manhattan, New York
A survey on ‘white privilege’ posted in a New York City school with almost no white students could have been made to ‘inflame tensions’ it has been suggested.
The first pages of an ‘exercise’ on ‘race and/or colour’ was left hanging on a bulletin board for students and faculty at the Life Sciences Secondary School on Manhattan’s E 96th Street.
City Councilman Joseph Borelli said a city worker sent him photos of the questionnaire near the principal’s office last week questioning the motive behind it.
‘What could even be the purpose of this in a school that has so few white students? Is it to inflame tensions and single out?’ Borelli said according to the New York Post.
The first pages of an ‘exercise’ on ‘race and/or colour’ was left hanging on a bulletin board for students and faculty at the Life Sciences Secondary School on Manhattan’s E 96th Street
It is not known who produced the survey or whether they had any authorization to publish it in the school, which asks respondents if there neighbors are ‘neutral or pleasant’ to them, or if they can go shopping ‘without being followed or harassed’.
‘Given the school’s abominable test and college-readiness scores, perhaps the chancellor should be concerned that they are not teaching enough math and English,’ continued Borelli.
The East Harlem ‘El Barrio’ school has approximately 520 students, but only three per cent are recorded as being white.
The school is said to be suffering from an ongoing controversy over Chancellor Richard Carranza’s racial-diversity initiatives.
The East Harlem ‘El Barrio’ school has approximately 520 students, but only three per cent are recorded as being white (stock photo)
Only 24 percent of the middle-schoolers met state standards on English tests, while the results in math were even more dismal, with just 13 percent meeting state standards.
In the high school, a mere 16 percent of students were able to pass college- or career-prep courses and exams, and 36 percent graduated ‘college ready’ for the CUNY system.
The 26-part questionnaire is believed to be based on a 1990 article called ‘White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Backpack,’ which asks similar questions including whether respondents believed they would be singled out in a police traffic stop.
A 2016 report by the New York Post also revealed that the Department of Education had a mandatory ‘White Privilege Exercise’ for school staff.
The program started at Life Sciences Secondary last academic year and was expanded due to ‘positive feedback’.
The DoE did not respond when asked about the survey being posted where students could see it.
‘Our sole focus is on improving outcomes for our students,’ said DOE spokesman Will Mantell.
The same school was also slammed in 2017 for throwing out hundreds of allegedly outdated text books weeks eight staff members spent $15,000 on an academic conference trip to Anaheim that included a stop at Disneyland.