U.S. News
Elite High School Faces Civil Rights Complaint
Knowledge Nuggets:
- The North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics is facing a federal civil rights complaint over its “Step Up to STEM” summer program.
- The program is accused of violating federal civil rights law by restricting eligibility to only black, Hispanic, and Native American students.
- The school could lose federal funding if the Department of Education finds it in violation of federal law.
A federal civil rights complaint has been filed against the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics (NCSSM), the top-ranked public high school in the United States, for a summer program that solicits applications exclusively from black, Hispanic, and Native American students.
Parents Defending Education, a parent activist group, claims that the school’s “Step Up to STEM” program is in violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits racial discrimination in any program or activity that receives federal funding.
The “Step Up to STEM” program is a summer initiative designed for rising ninth and 10th-grade students to enhance their skills in science, math, technology, and communications.
To participate, students must apply and be accepted into the program, which only accepts applications from eighth-grade African American, Hispanic American, and Native American students residing in North Carolina.
In 2022, NCSSM was ranked as the country’s top public high school by Niche school rankings.
If the Department of Education chooses to investigate the complaint and determines that the school violated federal law, NCSSM could lose its federal funding.
At the time of writing, the school has not commented on the issue.
Parents Defending Education vice president Caroline Moore expressed disappointment at the school’s decision to restrict eligibility based on race, drawing comparisons to Virginia’s Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, which revamped its admissions process to accept more black students.
Clear Thoughts:
In the fight for equal opportunities, the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics (NCSSM) has missed the mark by restricting eligibility for their “Step Up to STEM” summer program based on race.
I will always believe that merit should be the determining factor in educational opportunities, not skin color.
The NCSSM’s decision to exclusively solicit applications from black, Hispanic, and Native American students not only violates Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, but it also perpetuates racial divisions in our society.
Equality means giving everyone a fair shot, not tilting the scales in favor of certain racial groups. By excluding other students based on their race, NCSSM is sending a message that merit is secondary to skin color, which is counterproductive to the goal of true equality.
This decision is reminiscent of Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology’s controversial admissions overhaul, which ultimately led to a decline in academic standards.
Instead of following in the footsteps of a previously esteemed institution, NCSSM should strive for excellence by offering opportunities to all students, regardless of race.
As a nation, we must work together to create a more equitable society. However, this cannot be achieved by implementing discriminatory policies that divide us further.
Educational institutions like NCSSM should prioritize merit-based opportunities, ensuring that all students have the chance to succeed and contribute to our nation’s progress.
Creole Gumbo
May 7, 2023 at 7:48 am
What else is new?
That happened in Ann Arbor Michigan about 10 years ago or so with a field trip in which only non-whites were allowed.
Jackie Jackels
May 7, 2023 at 2:18 pm
Creole Gumbo,
Did you do anything besides gripe about it? Whites are so civilized they don’t fight for their own rights and as a result our injustices multiply. We are good grippers but piss poor fighters.
Leftshot
May 7, 2023 at 7:52 am
Is there any doubt that this public school violated the law here? I don’t see any way around it. This is blatant discrimination, which they have openly advertised. The question seems to be will the law be enforced?
Penelope
May 7, 2023 at 8:12 am
Nope.
Paul Fishman
May 7, 2023 at 8:44 am
Step up to Stem means a return to segregation of the past.
Charles
May 7, 2023 at 4:04 pm
The Reverend Martin Luther King died trying to desegregate and now we have all these moose twits pissing on his grave to undo his great achievements.
Tom
May 7, 2023 at 9:55 am
Wow, as an NC resident who lives close to this school, I am surprised and angered at the violation of federal law. As a tax paying resident of NC, I am embarrassed that such an obvious violation of law exists.
LMB
May 7, 2023 at 11:45 am
I smell the Swamp ideology at work here this STEM project!!!
Jackie Jackels
May 7, 2023 at 2:14 pm
There should be a white protest initiated for the school to lose federal funding. Anyone can join. It’s time for whites to step out regarding discrimination aimed at them.
Charles
May 7, 2023 at 4:09 pm
Just why bother with the stem programs when the teachers demand not to use the grading systems because it is in itself racist? When a child is not wrong to say 2+2=5 all they need is to answer how they obtained the answer and all is well. The teacher’s excuse is that this too hinders a child’s development.
Sean Rickman
May 7, 2023 at 7:09 pm
Well,just have at it,it WILL bite you in the butt before this ends.you do deserve what happens when this”bull exhaudt”is over.
bue
May 7, 2023 at 9:05 pm
don’t worry, not that many will be in the class, there aren’t that many smart ones that color
alan12
May 8, 2023 at 12:08 am
should be open to any student that want it. But what kid wants to attend summer school?
I’m sure the two native american kids living in the district might be interested. This program is entirely geared for blacks and DACA illegals.
Aside from whites, any Asian kids are also excluded. By Asian kids I mean Indians/Pakis/Chinese/Japanese/Vietnamese/Indonesians/ Middle easterners/ etc.
They are also excluding any pacific Islanders (because they are NOT native americans) that may be residing in NC.
The school is promoting blatent racism, and not just of wypipo