Do you think a white child would experience descrimination in PGCPS?

[Anonymous]

Before people jump all over this let me just say that I think it is a perfectly reasonable question in a school system that was recently successfully sued for racial discrimination against a white teacher. I have blond children. We are thinking about sending them to a school that is 80% children of color. The principal and almost all of the teachers are black women. I enjoy living in PG but have experienced that racial discrimination goes both ways. What has your experience been in PGCPS as a white family?

[Anonymous]

Ugh, go away.

[Anonymous]

I know quite a few white families (as well as black) in PG schools. No one's had an issue.

[Anonymous]

That should be spelled discrimination in the title. Given that this is DCUM I am surprised that someone hadn't already noted the misspelling.

[Anonymous]

Really?

My blond child goes to a 70% non-white PGCPS school. The principal and every homeroom teacher he's had are black women. We've been very happy with his experience.

[Anonymous]

I am glad to hear about your positive experience. Thank you for posting.

[Anonymous]

I think children will experience children who can be mean or insensitive no matter what color you are. Going to a more diverse school children can encounter this as well. I believe your child will be okay. However, children do see differences and if children are being insenstive talk to your child and address the issue with the teacher and counselor. Children should be able to go to any school and be educated in a safe environment. Even in PG county!

[Anonymous]

I think that it is just as reasonable as someone asking if their non-white child would be discriminated against in a 90% white school.
I have a blond haired girl in a school that is 95% non-white we have had no issues at all. (Although the demographics are changing and K and 1st grade is more like 75-80%)
She has had 4 black teachers and they have been professional and nurturing.

[Anonymous]

Realistically, yes, there will be some teachers and admins who will discriminate.

Kids are another matter and as the kids get older, it becomes tougher as kids form cliches.

[Anonymous]

If you don't have experience in this situation, it's a reasonable question to ask. I don't know about Prince George's but my child attended DCPS middle school that was 60% black and a DCPS magnet high school that was 80% black. I did not notice any problems.

I did worry when dd went through the interview for the magnet high school whether her race would be an issue. The head of the department arrived late and seemed standoffish. Later I found out that she was shy and disorganized so that's what I was seeing, not a reaction to my kid's race. It was a good learning experience for me. I saw what African-Americans go through regularly trying to interpret negative or coolish behavior from whites and not knowing whether it's from prejudice or not.

The kids did tend to hang out more with kids of their own race but I didn't notice any prejudice against my kid. And the reality is that even in situations like this white kids may get preferential treatment. It's not just white people who give preferential treatment to other whites. People of other races on occasion do that as well. It's insidious and something we should all guard against.

Anyway, this is DC, not Prince George's so I don't know how much help it will be.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Realistically, yes, there will be some teachers and admins who will discriminate.

Kids are another matter and as the kids get older, it becomes tougher as kids form cliches.

Ummm...kids will form cliques, not cliches. Your child might become a cliche, but that's a different problem.

[Anonymous]

Don't do it! Your kids will be miserable in an all black school! Move or send them to private!

[Anonymous]

As with any other question about the school, go visit. Meet the principal and some teachers, observe how kids interact. Then make a decision based upon the reality of the school, not upon preconceived notions.

[Anonymous]

My whiter than rice children have been among the only white kids in their grade level at their schools, at times.

There haven't been many issues from what I can tell. They are very recognizable -- everyone knows them and knows me when I show up at school. All the teachers know their names.

The teachers have mostly been African American with a few white teachers here and there. We haven't had any problems with any kind of discrimination from teachers.

My children don't tend to have friends at school; but rather from home in the neighborhood. Once my son hit middle school he started making school friends; they tended to be white or Asian.

[Anonymous]

Duh. AAs haven't gotten the memo yet.