Brandi Slider, an assistant college professor of elementary education, contends that Greensburg-Salem’s Hutchinson Elementary School’s record of 70% suspensions of nonwhites reveals racial bias because the school’s student population is only 24% nonwhite (“Group seeks racial equality at Greensburg Salem, decries school director’s Facebook post,” April 17, TribLIVE). Really?
Anybody who has attended public schools knows suspensions are made because of a student’s behavior, not because of his or her race. Experience likely makes school administrators very cautious when making rules and suspension decisions, trying to treat all students as fairly as possible, regardless of race, and recognizing that not all suspension decisions will be seen as fair.
If Slider wants to indict the Hutchinson school administrators for racial bias, let her prove it. The logic she uses to support her charge is unsound. Maybe she just wants to sell a training program to correct the conscious or unconscious racial bias she contends is there. Short of solid evidence to support the charge of racism against them, the Hutchinson administrators and teachers do not deserve to be painted with this illogical and overused brush of racism.
Scott Brown
Greensburg