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() — An Illinois school district has revised catalog descriptions for some of its high school courses after they drew backlash on social media and elicited accusations of segregation.
The firestorm began when a Twitter user posted screenshots of vanced Placement calculus courses offered at Evanston Township High School, just outside Chicago. The first course description said it was “restricted to students who identify as Black, all genders,” while the second said the course was “restricted to students who identify as Latinx, all genders.”
Each description had a unique course code.
“Neo-segregation is the absurdity of identitarianism taken to its logical end,” the Twitter user, Dan Proft, tweeted Sunday with the screenshots.
The next day, the course descriptions were revised, an internet archive shows. They now read: “While open to all students, this optional section of the course is intended to support students who identify as” Black or Latinx.
In a statement to Newsweek, which first reported the story, the school district said no students have ever been restricted from taking a course based on race.
“ETHS District 202 is a nationally renowned leader in increasing access to vanced Placement (AP) classes for all students, including students of color. We do not have (and never have had) a process that restricts students from taking AP classes based on race,” an spokesperson told the outlet in a statement. “No ETHS student is restricted from taking an AP class based on identity or is required to take any class based on identity.
“ETHS course offerings provide additional opportunities for students to take designated AP classes. This aligns with our goal to increase access to AP-level coursework at ETHS and is supported by the research on how to effectively increase access and success in AP classes for all students,” the spokesperson added. “As a result, access to AP classes for all students, including Black and Latinx students, has dramatically increased over the past decade. We are proud of our work.
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“The language in the ETHS Course Request Guide has been updated to accurately reflect our goal and practice.”
The school faced backlash from several conservatives online, Fox News reported. Turning Point USA’s Charlie Kirk accused the school of having “segregated” classes.
“At Evanston high school outside of Chicago, students who “identify” as blacks get their own segregated AP calculus class, students who “identify” as hispanics get their own segregated AP calculus class, and whites get their own AP class. Progress!” he wrote on Twitter.
One Twitter user replied to Proft’s tweet suggesting the different course enrollment codes may be a way for the district to keep track of demographics.
The Daily Northwestern newspaper reported in January about the school board’s effort to increase access to AP courses, with a board member citing statics that show a wide gap in the number of white students taking the courses compared to Black and Latino students.
At that time, the district offered “other classes specifically intended for Black students, including an AP Calculus AB class reserved for students who identify as Black,” the Daily Northwestern reported.
AP courses are designed by College Board and introduce high school students to college-level courses.
