One of the top-ranking high schools in the country is facing backlash after explicitly seeking to recruit Black, Hispanic, and Native American students for a summer program.
The Washington Examiner reports that a complaint was filed with the Department of Educations Office for Civil Rights by a parents rights group called Parents Defending Education.
The group argues that the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics is violating federal civil rights laws by only allowing minority-race students to participate in the Step Up to STEM summer program.
The complaint reads as follows: As the Department of Education is no doubt aware, discrimination based on race raises concerns that the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics has received federal funds in violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which declares 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 of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance,
The Washington Examiner notes that the Step Up to STEM program is for rising ninth and tenth graders. Its designed to build their science, math, technology, and communications skills.. Students must apply and be accepted to get into the program. Additionally, the program is currently only open to African American, Hispanic American, and Native American students who live in North Carolina.
North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics is one of the top-ranked high schools in the country, and they have retained that status for years. They receive this honor from the Niche school rankings repeatedly year after year.
The Washington Examiner reports that if the Department of Education decides to investigate the school, it could lose its federal funding. This would happen if the study revealed that the school violated federal law by restricting applicants based on race.
Parents Defending Education Vice President Caroline Moore gave a statement to the Washington Examiner in which she stated that her organization believes the school restricted applications to the summer program based on race.
She said: Color me unsurprised the #1 high school in the nation, North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics, only allows certain minorities of color to participate in their Step Up to STEM feeder program,
She added that This is discriminatory, and administrators should be ashamed for following in the path that no longer recognizes merit with the likes of the previous #1 ranked institution, Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology.
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