A public school in Manhattan is sparking debate with its approach to parental and teacher workshops, treating them as “separate but equal.”
P.S. 003 Charrette School, located in the West Village, plans to host a workshop that categorizes parents and staff into “affinity” groups based on race and ethnicity. This initiative has been criticized by legal experts who view it as discriminatory.
The workshop’s invitation, posted on the school’s website, asks, “What Does it Mean to be White in a Multi-Racial Community at PS3? — How does whiteness influence the collective child experience at PS3, as well as the broader community? White-identifying PS3 community members – SIGN UP HERE.”
Scheduled for June 16, the “Listening Circles” event is being conducted in collaboration with Liberation Spaces, a consulting firm dedicated to promoting “equity and liberation.”
The invitation details that participants will initially gather on Zoom with Liberation Spaces for an overview. They will then be divided into smaller racial identity-based groups, each facilitated by a guide, for more focused discussions.
“Bring your valuable perspective and ideas for the future of our school,” it states.
“BIPOC Folks – Educators, staff, parents and caregivers who identify as Black, Indigenous, Latinx/Hispanic, Asian, and other people of color – SIGN UP HERE,” it adds — while white parents and teachers are told to participate in a separate group.
The bottom of the invitation cites sources of support for the program, including an article titled “Why People of Color Need Spaces Without White People” and another headlined “Becoming an Anti-racist White Ally: How a White Affinity Group Can Help.”
Some families and educators were shocked at being advised to separate into groups by race.
“The PS 3 PTA Charrette Listening Circles facilitated by Liberation Spaces is planning on segregating parents into ‘BIPOC Folks’ and ‘White-identifying’ affinity groups,” noted Moshe Spern, president of United Jewish Teachers who said he was contacted by PS 3 parents who objected to the event.
“That doesn’t build community. Instead, it divides and isolates families,” Spern said.
One civil rights lawyer said separating parents or educators by race was clearly illegal, citing the 1954 landmark US Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education that struck down racial segregation or “separate but equal” education as unconstitutional.
“Segregating public school parents by race or ethnicity is not only offensive, it’s also unlawful,” said William Jacobson, a Cornell University law professor and founder of the Equal Protection Project, a nonprofit conservative advocacy organization.
“The federal civil rights statutes cover all aspects of school programming, not just what happens in the classroom,” he said.
“Segregating faculty and staff by race or ethnicity also may be an unlawful employment practice,” Jacobson added. “Outsourcing these programs to an outside consultant does not insulate the school from liability and responsibility.”
A majority of PS3’s roughly 600 students are white.
Spern noted Jewish parents and teachers are not even mentioned on the program description, despite a surge in antisemitism.
“This isn’t the time to hide from issues, especially those facing the Jewish community. We should have real conversations around race and bias but needs to be done in a way that makes everyone feel safe and inclusive.”
PS 3 refers to itself as a “charrette” school that touts group brainstorming.
The school principal, Hillary Casado, declined to comment.
A spokesperson for Schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels and the Department of Education said the PS 3 parents association was running the “Listening Circles” program, not the school administration.
“New York City Public Schools remains focused on fostering welcoming, inclusive environments where all students and families feel respected and supported. This event was organized by the school’s PTA,” said DOE spokesperson Chyann Tull.
“PTAs may separately choose to host a variety of programs and discussions for their parent communities.”
But Jacobson, of the Equal Protection Project, said the school and the city are still “potentially liable” for a PTA-led school program that violates the law, if they “promote or facilitate” it in any way “including on the school website.”
The race-based “Listening Circles” is prominently displayed on the PS 3 website and said it is sponsored by the “The PS3 Charrette Planning Committee.”
Such a race-based or exclusionary program could draw scrutiny from the Trump administration.
On Tuesday, the Justice Department announced it launched a civil rights probe of the City University of New York “Black Male Initiative” for allegedly favoring “non-white” minorities. CUNY claimed the program is open to all, despite its name.
“Race can never play a role when deciding how to distribute educational resources or opportunities,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon.
During President Trump’s first term, the US Department of Education found that racial “affinity groups” discriminated against students and staff.
But the Biden administration suspended that decision.
The goal of the racial separation programs is to help address discrimination and “white privilege,” supporters say.
The Post in 2020 exclusively reported that city early childhood teachers were asked to segregate into discussion groups based on skin color, race and ethnicity following George Floyd’s killing by Minneapolis police and the subsequent violent protests.
