February 10, 2021
San Francisco’s Board of Education permanently removed grade and standardize tests for admission to its nationally acclaimed Lowell High School on Tuesday, February 9, to increase racial diversity.
The board voted 5-2 to use the regular admissions process for future admissions to the school and for an equity audit led by community leaders. The process has “created a school that does not reflect the diversity of SFUSD students and perpetuates segregation and exclusion,” according to the resolution passed by the board, reports NBC.
“The problem is systemic racism and white supremacy. Asian students are unfortunately carrying on the torch for white supremacy by purposely outscoring children of color out of spite,” one parent stated. “Trump is gone. It’s time for equity, it’s time for fairness and the only way that can be achieved is to end white supremacy once and for all.”
The California Education Code specifically states that “high-demand schools must enroll students through a random, unbiased process,” according to the new resolution.
Lowell already went to a random lottery for 2021-22 admission in what had been billed as a temporary measure, citing Covid-19 restrictions that prevented all necessary student data to be collected, reports NBC.
Of Lowell’s 2,871 students, 50.6 % are Asian, 18.1% are Caucasian, 11.5% Hispanic, and 1.8% African-American, according to NBC.
Dropping academic requirements for a school — which boasts alumni such as U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer, San Francisco Giants CEO Larry Baer, Broadway great Carol Channing, and three Nobel Prize laureates — is a hot-button topic among Lowell grads.
The Lowell Alumni Association said it’s opposed to “changing the Lowell admissions policy to a lottery” among applicants.
“We fully recognize that Lowell has not provided a supportive environment to far too many students, and that in particular, Black and Latinx students have faced unconscionable racism during their Lowell years,” according to an association statement this week.
A parent of a current Lowell student spoke to Asian Dawn via phone and stated, “We’re being punished for hard work. We’re being punished for thinking if we work hard enough, we can achieve what we put in. Today, I’m told I’m ‘white adjacent,’ and so are my children. An African-American parent told me last year that Asian-American students should take a step back as a token of good faith and allow black children to move to their rightful place.”
“Every time I complain or other parents complain, the school calls us ‘racist’ or ‘toxic.’ I thought this was America. How is studying hard toxic or racist? This country is doomed. They won’t know it for another 20 years until the African-American kids gets laid off by their Asian bosses.”
Feature Image via SF Chronicle