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A New York State school district apologized for using “exclusionary language” to promote an event for “students of color” after an anti-affirmative action group accused the educators of segregating students.
The Ithaca City School District (ICSD) promoted a Students of Color Summit 2024 on Ithaca High School’s campus that said the event was for “Students of Color in grades 6-12.” The Equal Protection Project (EPP), a nonprofit that opposes racial discrimination in any form, caught wind of this and sent a scathing letter to Superintendent Dr. Luvelle Brown and Board of Education President Dr. Sean Eversley Bradwell.
The letter, which has been obtained by Fox News Digital, featured an image of a poster used to promote the ICSD event which noted “students of color” were invited. The letter suggested that school board officials preserve records related to the event because a FOIL request would be served, and claimed an email was circulated by staffers stating that the event was “for students of color to interact with each other” and that “allies” are not invited.
ANTI-CRT FIGURE FIGHTS BACK AGAINST EQUITY DISCRIMINATION: ‘IT’S THE CIVIL RIGHTS ISSUE OF OUR TIME’
Cornell Law School professor and Legal Insurrection Foundation president William A. Jacobson founded the Equal Protection Project. (FOX)
“We understand in this context that the word ‘allies’ refers to White students and staff. In fact, the message goes on to invite only non-White staff, stating: ‘If you are a staff member of color and would like to attend the summit with our students, please email,’” the letter stated.
“SOCU 2024 thus appears intended to exclude Whites and to be promoted as open only to students and staff ‘of color,’” the letter continued. “This is consistent with how ICSD and IHS have run prior SOCU summits.”
The EPP letter contained evidence that past editions of the ICSD event have excluded White students, including previous board member discussions and promotional materials.
“ICSD knows that it is not permitted to segregate students by race for any reason,” the EPP stated. “Because ICSD is a public school district, these programs that discriminate based on race and skin color violate the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.”
The EPP also accused the ICSD of violating Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits the recipient of federal funds to discriminate based on race or ethnicity.
Equal Protection Project founder William A. Jacobson feels “fighting against equity discrimination is the civil rights issue of our time.” (iStock)
The EPP called for Brown to “publicly denounce and renounce past and planned segregationist programs, and open up the upcoming SOCU Summit to all students and staff without regard to race.”
“ICSD needs not only to open the SOCU Summit to all students and staff, ICSD needs to inform all students and staff that the racial barrier has been removed,” the EPP wrote.
“If for whatever reason the SOCU Summit 2024 is not going to take place, ICSD still needs to inform students and staff that the announced racial barrier was improper,” the EPP letter continued. “Such barriers not only are contrary to law, they are contrary to ICSD policies, and part of remedying the damage from past and planned segregated events is to make clear that such practices are not ICSD policy.”
Less than 48 hours later, the ICSD emailed all students and staffers informing them that all students were welcomed after all and apologizing for initially using “exclusionary language” to promote the event.
“The Students of Color United (SOCU) Summit will be held this Friday, May 31, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Ithaca High School. Please know that SOCU is open toallof our secondary students. We apologize for any previous communication that included exclusionary language about the event,” the ICSD communications staff said in an email to students and staff that has been obtained by Fox News Digital.
The event went on as planned with students of all races being welcomed.
The Ithaca City School District did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Equal Protection Project founder William A. Jacobson feels his group succeeded with its call for change.
“In its mass email to the school community, the Ithaca City School District has admitted the validity of concerns raised by Equal Protection Project –EqualProtect.org — regarding exclusionary language used by ICSD to promote theStudents of Color United Summit. EPP is vindicated, but most important, equal protection of the laws has triumphed for now at ICSD as a result of our efforts,” Jacobson told Fox News Digital.
“Equality is not a ‘conservative’ or ‘liberal’ value – it is a core foundation of our constitutional system. We hope that ICSD has learned a lesson and will promote equality throughout the district, and not fall into the trap of race-based ‘equity’ education,” Jacobson continued. “We also call on ICSD to be transparent as to past exclusionary practices, not just exclusionary language.”
Jacobson, a Cornell Law School professor who also founded both the Legal Insurrection Foundation and CriticalRace.org,said EPP is devoted to ensuring fair treatment of all people without regard to race or ethnicity.
“Seventy years ago inBrown v. Board of Education, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected racial segregation in public schools as unconstitutional. It is disheartening to see that ICSD has hosted and planned to host a Students of Color summit which was open only to students and faculty ‘of color’ and from which Whites are excluded. The time has come for ICSD to live up to both the law and the spirit of theBrowncase, and to stop racial segregation in school programming once and for all time,” Jacobson said.
The Ithaca City School District, located in the Finger Lakes region of upstate New York, has over 5,000 students, according to its website.
Lehman Alternative Community School, Boynton Middle School, DeWitt Middle School, Belle Sherman Elementary, Beverly J. Martin Elementary, Caroline Elementary, Cayuga Heights Elementary, Enfield Elementary, Fall Creek Elementary, Northeast Elementary and South Hill Elementary make up the district, in addition to Ithaca High School.
Brian Flood is a media editor/reporter for FOX News Digital. Story tips can be sent to brian.flood@fox.com and on Twitter: @briansflood.
