The Acalanes Union High School District in the San Francisco Bay Area held a social event on February 8 for employees of color. According to Fox News, the district’s Director of Student Support Equity & Inclusion, Lynna McPhatter-Harris, sent an email instructing the recipients to invite any employee of color to the event but not white colleagues. She explained, “Be reminded that we have avoided inviting people that are not of color as there remains feelings of uneasiness and mistrust, and we need this to be a safe space for our people of color. Please reach out to me if you have any questions or concerns.”
This decision to exclude white colleagues from the event has garnered attention from media outlets, particularly in light of similar events at schools in Colorado and Rhode Island. Critics of the decision argue that such exclusionary practices are inappropriate, while others point to the broader issues of equity and inclusion in education.
The Acalanes district also faced criticism in 2020 for its decision to keep schools closed during the pandemic, leading to a father of four, Mark Woolway, running for a board seat in response to what he saw as a “lack of leadership.” Woolway, who is white, believes that the current exclusion of white colleagues reflects broader issues in the country. He stated, “I think that this divisiveness is very unfortunate, and it’s counterproductive.”
