«Breaking News» Denver high school sparks outrage for letting students opt out of Black History Month assembly

A Denver high school has come under fire for giving parents an 'opt-out' form that allowed their children to skip a Black History Month assembly. 

George Washington High School in Denver sent out an email on Tuesday saying that the school would host an African-American Heritage Month assembly in March and attached a form that would allow parents to exclude their kids from the event.  

'Students who opt-out of the assembly will be supervised in the library for the duration of the assembly and will return to their second-period class at the conclusion of the assembly to continue the school day,' the letter said. 

But the school faced major backlash from the community and outraged parents, leading the school principal to retract the opt-out offer the following day. 

A Denver high school has come under fire for giving parents a form to opt-out their kids of a Black History Month assembly, leading Principal Kristin Waters to retract the option the following day

It's not clear if any parents actually pulled their kids from attending the assembly.  

Angry phone calls poured in to the school and to the Denver Public Schools district office saying that they were disappointed that an assembly on black heritage was allowed to be skipped, according to the Denver Post.  

The backlash was so bad Principal Kristin Waters cancelled the opt-out form on Wednesday and said the assembly would be mandatory for all students 

Many flagged the issue to Hasira Ashemu, a local social activist and the co-founder of education advocacy group Our Voice, Our Schools.  

'This is the type of systemic racism that we are talking about that pervades DPS at its core. Since when do students get to "opt-out" of Black History Month assemblies?!?!? It's the same with having teachers "opt-out" of racial bias training and having school leaders "opt-out" of best practices in discipline of its Black population,' Ashemu posted on Facebook on Wednesday. 

'Everyday this is the type of microaggressions that Black faculty, parents and students have to face in this racist system,' he added. 

The opt-out option was particularly controversial because, according to staff, the school is already segregated. 

'It's pretty segregated right now. It's mostly white kids in the program, and we're tying to stop that divide and include everyone,' Yasiris Torres, a teacher at the school, said.  

She sent this newsletter on Wednesday saying 'effective immediately we are eliminating the assembly opt-out policy and all students will attend educational assemblies at GW'

Local activist Hasira Ashemu applauded Waters efforts saying 'she's a whole lot more responsive to Black equity demands then the Denver Public Schools admin seems to be'

But Principal Kristin Waters says that the opt-out form was standard for any school assembly at the school. 

Furthermore the Black History Month assembly stemmed from resolution passed less than a week ago by the Denver Board of Education to enhance the success of its black and African-American students. 

By Wednesday Waters sent a follow-up message to parents saying the George Washington High is eliminating the assembly opt-out policy and all students will be required to attend the Black History Month gathering. 

'As we continue the important work of dismantling systemic racism, segregation and inequity in education, and specifically at George Washington High School, we appreciate our community holding us accountable,' Waters wrote in the apology newsletter. 

'To expand the perspectives and learning opportunities for all of our students, it is counter-productive to promote the opportunity to opt-out of an assembly examining any part of history, culture or current events,' she added. 

Denver Public Schools also released a statement in light of the outrage saying it was 'grateful for the opportunity to remedy' the controversy 

Following her announcement, Ashemu praised the school for listening to the community. 

'I don't know who the principal is over at George Washington personally but whoever she is she's a whole lot more responsive to Black equity demands then the DPS admin seems to be. This is just the first step,' he wrote. 

Denver Public Schools also released a statement in  light of the controversy. 

'After hearing the concerns expressed by George Washington High School families, school leaders responded as rapidly as possible to correct the assembly opt-out policy so that it better reflects the school’s commitment to all students,' spokesman Will Jones said. 

'The school deeply appreciates the GW community for providing feedback and advocacy, and is grateful for the opportunity to remedy this,' he added. 

Link hienalouca.com

https://hienalouca.com/2019/02/28/denver-high-school-sparks-outrage-for-letting-students-opt-out-of-black-history-month-assembly/
Main photo article A Denver high school has come under fire for giving parents an ‘opt-out’ form that allowed their children to skip a Black History Month assembly. 
George Washington High School in Denver sent out an email on Tuesday saying that the school would host an African-American Heritage Month ...

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