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Black Parent Outraged After Learning Atlanta Elementary School Segregated Classes By Race

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Black mother Kila Posey was outraged after learning that her child’s Atlanta public elementary school was segregating classrooms based on race. 

According to a report from WSB-TV Atlanta, Posey uncovered that the school’s principal was segregating classes based on race when she insisted that her child be moved to a different classroom. The principal, Sharyn Briscoe, told Posey that her child would be “isolated” in the desired classroom because it wasn’t a “black class.” 

“[The principal] said, ‘that’s not one of the black classes.’ And I immediately said, ‘what does that mean?’ I was confused,” Posey told the local news outlet. “I asked for more clarification. I was like, ‘we have those in this school?’ And she proceeded to say that yes, ‘I have decided that I’m going to place all of the black students in two classes.’” 

Posey claims that the elementary school created eight classes, two for black students, and six for white students.  

“We’ve lost sleep trying to figure out, like, why would a person do this? First, it was just disbelief that I was having this conversation in 2020 with a person that looks just like me, a black woman,” Posey said. “It’s segregating classrooms. You cannot segregate classrooms. You can’t do it.” 

The mother also called the practice “illegal” and “unethical.” 

Watch: 

Posey has since filed a discrimination complaint with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights. Her complaint argues that the school violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which claims that “no person in the United States shall, on the ground of race, color, or national origin, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.” 

The fate of a discrimination complaint of this nature remains unclear, given that it was turned in to President Joe Biden’s Department of Education. 

The Senate education committee has held hearings with Biden’s nominee to lead the Office of Civil Rights, Catherine Lhamon. During her hearing, Lhamon refused to answer whether it would be “a violation of Title VI to ascribe character traits, values, moral and ethical codes, privileges, status or beliefs to a race or to an individual solely because of his or her race.”

The Biden Education Department has similarly reversed course on a Trump-era ruling that found racial “affinity groups” to be a form of segregation. Racial “affinity groups” — which could be used to justify racially segregated classes — separate students and staff by race in hopes of giving black people a “safe space” to discuss their experiences with racism while providing a separate space for white people to learn about their “white privilege.” 

Under current Education Department standards, racial affinity groups in public schools are permissible and do not violate Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Related: Atlanta Public School Told Catholic Couple To Remove Child From District If They Want To Avoid LGBTQ+ Issues In Kindergarten

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