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Child's school enrollment isn't black or white
Filed under: Tweens, In The News, Day Care & Education
Vanessa Lovelace and her son Lenny were both excited about enrolling him in his new school in Kenosha, Wisconsin until it came to actually filling out the enrollment forms. In the section where it asked what race/ethnic group the child belonged to, none of the available options fit 10-year-old Kenny. Lovelace was asked to choose from Asian/Pacific Islander, Black not Hispanic, Hispanic, American Indian/Alaska native, or White not Hispanic. Since Kenny is biracial with one white parent and one black, Lovelace checked both Black and White boxes.
That didn't go over well with the secretary at the Kenosha Unified School District's Educational Support Center. "She handed the form back to me and said I had to pick one, otherwise, someone would pick his race for me," Lovelace said. District policy dictates that if the race of the child is not indicated by the person filling out the form, an "observer identification" must be made. By that logic, Kenny Lovelace looks white, so he is white.
How is it that a form with such a narrow field of choices should even exist? According to Patrick Gasper, of the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, a multi-racial category has been allowed since 2007, but that change won't go into effect for all Wisconsin public school districts until the 2010-11 school year.
If you are wondering why the school even needs to have a check box for a child's race, Gasper explains that as well. He says that racial demographic data is gathered by the federal government and can indirectly affect funding for certain programs. He encourages parents in the district to choose a race even if it is incorrect, otherwise their child cannot be enrolled in school.
With the change allowing a biracial checkbox not going into effect for several years, Lovelace is considering her options. She is thinking about moving back to Illinois, where Kenny attended school last year, or even homeschooling him. But in the end, it is Kenny who is stuck in the middle and feeling like the odd one out. "It made me feel kind of weird," he said. "I'm sad because I'm not only one race. I'm black and I'm white."
That didn't go over well with the secretary at the Kenosha Unified School District's Educational Support Center. "She handed the form back to me and said I had to pick one, otherwise, someone would pick his race for me," Lovelace said. District policy dictates that if the race of the child is not indicated by the person filling out the form, an "observer identification" must be made. By that logic, Kenny Lovelace looks white, so he is white.
How is it that a form with such a narrow field of choices should even exist? According to Patrick Gasper, of the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, a multi-racial category has been allowed since 2007, but that change won't go into effect for all Wisconsin public school districts until the 2010-11 school year.
If you are wondering why the school even needs to have a check box for a child's race, Gasper explains that as well. He says that racial demographic data is gathered by the federal government and can indirectly affect funding for certain programs. He encourages parents in the district to choose a race even if it is incorrect, otherwise their child cannot be enrolled in school.
With the change allowing a biracial checkbox not going into effect for several years, Lovelace is considering her options. She is thinking about moving back to Illinois, where Kenny attended school last year, or even homeschooling him. But in the end, it is Kenny who is stuck in the middle and feeling like the odd one out. "It made me feel kind of weird," he said. "I'm sad because I'm not only one race. I'm black and I'm white."
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ReaderComments (Page 1 of 1)
8-18-2008 @ 10:37AM
Mihir said..."racial demographic data is gathered by the federal government and can indirectly affect funding for certain programs"
ahh...gotta love funding being tied to "diversity"
"He encourages parents in the district to choose a race even if it is incorrect..."
great. my kid is screwed: part filipino, indian and white. i'm just putting down American Indian/Alaska native.
Reply
8-18-2008 @ 1:45PM
Karen said...While I agree that funding tied to race is ridiculous, until the option is available, just check one and move on. And WHO has their child fill out this form, or brings them into the situation.
I doubt the child would feel bad about anything if the parent hadn't drawn him into it. It is a one time thing, it isn't like ANYTHING ELSE at the school is affected by this one choice.
They have addressed the issue, have a fix that will be implemented. This is the wrong battle to fight.
8-19-2008 @ 1:04PM
Tiffany said...I don't know if it is the same in every state, but in Texas the child is considered the race of the father, so when filling out those forms there is only one to check.
8-18-2008 @ 2:20PM
pbhj said...So why do they need to know your race - racial discrimination (either for you or against you).
I always leave these blank.
Reply
8-18-2008 @ 3:11PM
Jenni said...It's a box on a form. It doesn't pertain to which classroom he will be assigned to. My guess is (and it's a pretty educated one working in a federally funded program) that the school itself doesn't even look at those boxes. We only fill out the box because the governent wants it filled out.
It doesn't necessarily mean one school will get more money because of the demographics. They use it to say, "See, this area is educating more children of this race." They can actually use the research to find out consistencies between culture, location, and all sorts of other information.
I've had parents put completely arbitrary choices as their race. It doen't matter. Really! We would be better off without those boxes; but check any old box and call it a day!
Reply
8-18-2008 @ 4:32PM
jen said...I never much thought about these boxes until I had to fill one out for my daughter. She is half chinese, half caucasian. What am I supposed to choose? How could I even choose one or the other and deny who she really is and who she came from? Do I leave myself out or do I leave her father out? I think it is crazy that these forms haven't been updated to reflect the truly multicultural nature of our nation. I know some people will feel that I am over thinking this, but it just doesn't mean that much until it is your child that has to be mis-classified.
Reply
8-18-2008 @ 5:05PM
ame s said...I live in West TN and have one child in elementary in the public school system. My older daughter is in a private school for 5th grade this year.
That box does, to an extent, determine which classroom a child is placed in where the public school system is concerned.
I have always requested which teacher my children are placed with. This school year, I didn't have confirmation that my request was granted until 2 days before school started. I was told by the office staff that they needed to move a white female out of that classroom and into another to "even things out". This school is over 65% non-white. Both of my daughters have been in classrooms that had more non-whites than white, so I don't quite understand the "too many white kids in one classroom" problem.
Reply
8-19-2008 @ 7:33AM
Don said...Both my wife and I are of European dissent, yet whenever I come across these questions on forms I always answer them incorrectly on purpose.
There is no need to give an answer to these questions, even if they do aid in getting federal funds. Race is a social construct, me being of European dissent could be more related genetically to some one of African dissent, rather than someone who is of the same European dissent as me.
If they have a other box with a blank space, I alway put "Alien, Hail Zoltan!"
I do the same thing for just about anything I can get a away with, such as the bonus cards that you sign up for at your grocery store, etc.
Reply
8-22-2008 @ 3:33PM
bjmomof2 said...I feel the same I have a half black and white daugter. I check both as well but havent had any problems with the issue. I understand your stress over the problem. I want my daughter to know that she comes from both culthers and to be proud of both being white and being black. she is 4 years old and never once says she black or white. shes says i am black AND white. God has made her special, the way he wanted every child to be and God dont care why should everyone else. But that is the way life is, I have seen alot of things change for mulit-racial childred and all we can do is pray that things keep changer for the better.
Reply