De facto segregation within the NRCSD has been called out and backed up with both empirical and experience-based evidence for years—at least for as long as I’ve been in the district, but this disparage began decades ago. Schools on the north end of town are known to be comprised of mostly white students while schools found elsewhere in town are made up mostly of POC and Hispanic students. This observation has been referenced and spoken about throughout my experience in the district, by everyone from fellow students to parents to school staff. And yet while this has been a point of conversation, it’s never actually been considered a real problem before this 2020 campaign. Right off the bat, what does that say about the school district that prides itself on its diversity & opportunity?

 

There are two stark examples that, after reflecting back on my K-12 education experience that ended three years ago, are saturated in racial discrimination. I went to Webster and graduated into Albert Leonard Middle School. When transitioning from ALMS to one large high school, students were nervous to enter a bigger, integrated school. While some of this can be attributed to rumors of “freshman Friday” and torment from upperclassmen, a huge source of anxiety was meeting with the IEYMS crowd. Teachers and parents would reassure students essentially by explaining that the high school has great opportunities and resources, so long as you don’t fall into “the wrong crowd.” And how they proposed to stay within the “right” crowd? Stay in AP and honors courses.

 

Look at the data, the demographics of these courses in comparison to the rest of the school and you’ll see the makeup of the “wrong crowd” parents were afraid of their children getting to know. Furthermore, throughout the years I was enrolled in a few AP and honors courses. While I only took one AP my junior year and one AP my senior year, I was still considered an “AP kid.” Even when I had attendance problems and poor study habits, I was considered an “AP kid.” The issues I had were considered mental health issues and were dealt with as such. Even when I skipped a class or missed an assignment, nobody challenged my identity as an honors student. Because I was associated with “the right crowd,” my issues weren’t considered a reflection of myself, rather they stemmed from problems at home and in turn I received accommodations and assistance from teachers, counselors, and other staff.

 

Never once was I made to feel incapable or like I didn’t belong, a sentiment that even the top performing students of color and Hispanic students have experienced. While I’m thankful for the help I received at the high school level, this was a luxury allowed to me because of where I grew up, the schools I attended, and the innate worth the district attributed to me inadvertently based on my skin color alone. There are so many students allowed to slip through the cracks due to de facto segregation—those written off as troublemakers or members of the wrong crowd—and I was not one of them.

 

Investing in equitable education and continued support throughout especially later years in school that emphasize a path to college or trade school is just the beginning of a way to remedy decades of disguised (although often blatant) and institutional racism in New Rochelle.

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Emma Berg 

NRHS Class of 2017