One of the ways you appreciate diversity is to recognize it. Harris is right in the respect that there is a way to operate with each other in a culture, whites have it, blacks have it etc. To say that she is discrimminating by making a statement that says You can't walk a mile in my shoes, so don't try and tell me what's best, is dead bang on. I'm white and even I get that.

Yes, the district is on the wrong track with Jefferson. This latest incident of racially discriminatory comments by the JHS principal against black students and against a white parent are indicative a pervasive problem of racial discrimination in PPS's attitude about Jefferson. It's almost as if the district doesn't want Jefferson to succeed.

I attended the same meeting of the Oregon Assembly of Black Affairs (OABA) and wrote the following letter to Principal Harris afterward.

Sep. 16, 2007
Dear Dr. Harris,
I would like to express my concern about some comments you made at the meeting of the OABA (Oregon Assembly of Black Affairs) yesterday (Saturday, September 15, 2007) at AME Zion Church.

In response to questions by a white PPS parent from SW Portland (Lynn Schore) about the closed campus policy for juniors and seniors at Jefferson you stated that "Blacks kids are different" and that you "don't understand why people who aren't African American think they should have any say in what happens at Jefferson." I disagree that a white parent cannot have anything meaningful to contribute in a dialogue about policies that impact Black students or Jefferson, especially a parent as informed and involved in Jefferson as Ms. Schore. And, as a Jefferson cluster parent myself, I am extremely disturbed by your beliefs that:
1) Black students should be treated foremost as members of a racial group rather than as individuals;
2) Jefferson is a school for Black students only, despite the fact that there is and always have been students from multiple other racial groups at Jefferson and in the Jefferson neighborhood; and
3) White parents of Jefferson students have no rightful place in school decision-making for Jefferson.

I would also like to point out that Jefferson parents, PTSA and Site Council were not involved in the decision to close the Jefferson campus. Therefore, your comments about the school stakeholders being involved in the decision-making process is misleading and false.

I believe that every PPS school should provide effective, meaningful, and equitable educational opportunities to all students regardless of their race, and should welcome every parent in their child's school and provide opportunities for those parents to be informed and involved in school decision-making. Your comments are one example of a recurring pattern of treatment across the district where PPS students and parents receive discriminatory educational opportunities, discipline, involvement in decision-making, and other treatment based upon their race.

I am copying Lynn Schore and OABA President Cal Henry so that they can provide any correction or clarification of my account of the incident if necessary.

I am also copying the Superintendent and School Board on this message because I want them to be aware of, and address, racially discriminatory comments, actions, and policies toward PPS students and parents. Racial discrimination is not okay. It creates a hostile school environment for students and parents. PPS leaders need to recognize that racial discrimination is unacceptable, immoral, and illegal, and to take responsibility for ensuring that it doesn't happen. This is the latest of a long series of correspondence to PPS leadership about racial discrimination in PPS.

Sincerely,
N...

I'm surprised no one has questioned Ms. Schore's treatment by Dr. Harris in relation to Schore's research showing that the PPS district lost 1.1 million in federal grant dollars for Jefferson cluster because PPS's school closure decisions fostered segregation, when the federal grant was in part a desegregation grant for the Jefferson area.

In an article in the Willamette Week two weeks ago, Beth Slovic wrote about Schore's activities on behalf of Jefferson PTSA and students regarding the Ockley Arts Magnet Grant, known in the community as "The Heartbreaker Grant." Here is a link to that article:
http://www.wweek.com/editorial/3343/9520/

I posted about this over at my blog, as well.

http://wackymommy.org/blog/archive/2007/09/19/thursday_thirteen_111_thirteen_ways_i_learned_about_racism/%3Cbr%20/%3E

Things are still rotten in the Jeff cluster. I was hoping that Dr. Harris would bring both a sense of urgency and a spirit of community unity to the problems that, in reality, have been created by a school board more focused on pleasing the business community, than giving an effective education to our kids, especially in the North and Northeast parts of our city. I was going into this school year with high hopes for the Jeff cluster. We got rid of Douglas Morgan, who was part of the problem. However at least three problems have raised their ugly heads.
1. The Jeff cluster lost more than one million dollars(again thanks to Morgan's votes in spite of my warning to him two years ago that this would happen).
2. This latest fiasco by Dr. Harris, ostracizing a white parent who has worked hard for the benefit of PPS and especially those in the Jeff Cluster.
3.The refusal of Willie Holmes to support the mock trial activity, which many Jeff students have participated in over the years. This last is especially ironic since his Boys Academy at Jefferson High is SUPPOSED to be a focus option on LAW. Go figure.

I still hope that the multiple administrators at he various JHS schools will become less arrogant and more cooperative with the PTSA and the community, I don't think that Jeff could stand another reorganization and change in administration, but we can't continue down this current path.

Richard Watson
North Portland

Would the district have any tolerance for a white principal who claimed "black kids are different?"

Hell, no! A white principal who did that would be placed "on leave" as a prelude to leaving permanently. I recommend the same treatment for Dr. Harris, esp. in view of her disingenuous remark in the TV interview that "It's all about language."

I'm surprised at how Cynthia Harris defended herself by saying that she's not used to people taking offense to "language." Language, as the Dr. should know is how we communicate our thoughts. She kind of turned it around on Portland by saying that while she is in Portland she will be careful about her "language." What is that supposed to mean? That we are not to listen to her language and try to read her mind instead? That we are not as open to discriminatory remarks as where she is from?
I don't take offense to her remarks specifically, however I do take offense to the fact that this seems to be another example of the double standard of what black people can say in a public position as opposed to what a white person can say without getting dismissed immediately.
There should be no black and white in how anyone talks if we are to be truly unified and without discrimination...we should be talking about "people."

she is totally racist.............

I think the school board should call for immediate dismissal for Cynthia Harris. I personally will be writing the school board and demand an investigation. Racist comments that Ms. Harris allegedly made have no place in today's society or schools, and she does nothing but fan racist flames by her derogatory, demeaning, racist, and smug remarks. Out with her!

I agree with the dismissal of Cynthia Harris. There should be zero tolerance from PPS staff making racial comments period. Jefferson has had problem after problem and I would think any parental involvement would be graciously accepted. PPS have been a joke since the superintendent chose an even bigger salary with Gates than Portland doled out. She made radical and mostly confusing changes to the entire district and then skipped out before the outcome is even realized. Ms. Harris' own comments about watching her language for her stay in Portland makes me think she is not dedicated to making Jefferson a better school but rather it is an interim until something better comes along. We are designated to Tubman or Jefferson (5 miles away) when Grant is just down the street. Is this an attempt to try to draw more white people to Jefferson? With Ms. Harris' attitude and the historical issues at Jefferson I will either move out of the district or pay for private school before sending my child to Jefferson!

Calling Harris a racist is ridiculous...everyone knows only white people are racist.

She'll receive a slap on the wrist and all will be forgiven because that's the only response the collective white guilt of Portland can muster.

Phonics programs will teach English in first grade

All of you are just a little too uptight about this. Does it really have to be a media circus over an ignorant statemnt or two? We could be better served if we just let the two parties hammer it out themselves and leave the district out of it and cool our jets over it. Sheesh!

Ms. Schore needs to take a step back and not be so concerned about her own personal feelings. With the students' interest at issue, Dr. Harris's point that "Black students are different" is extremely valid and not fully understood by those people who have not grown up as a person of color. The Jena 6 situation is a glaring example of this differentiation.

Ms. Schore, you should try volunteering your time at a hospital rather than trying to wedge yourself into a situation you obviously have little understanding of. Let the people who understand the bigger picture and impact it will have on the students take care of things. Get a life!

Darrell,
The Jena 6 situation is NOT a glaring example of how "Black students are different." It IS a glaring example of how our society views and treats black students differently. The Jena 6 situation is just an extreme example of racial discrimination at work.

Darrell, Ms. Schore did not “wedge,” she was personally invited by the organizer of the event the President of the OABA.

Please do consider having your children attend Jefferson. The students, teachers and spirit at Jefferson High School are great. Jefferson may be on the cusp of getting the full programs and funding it deserves if we keep the pressure on the district from as many parents as possible.

Jefferson has gotten undeserved bad press over the years. The bad press lately has been surrounding DISTRICT decisions over the administration of Jefferson, like Dudley and his campus rules. I love Jefferson students and teachers and with the right leadership and funding, we CAN make Jefferson the best High School in Portland.

Do not make your decision about having your child attend Jefferson by what you read in the newspaper. Visit the school in person, and attend an event at Jefferson. Make up your our mind.

So everyone here is in a tizzy about black vs white statements at this school but nobody is noticing that Mexico is implanting it's own curriculum into OUR schools? Talk about blind! Why are we catering to Latinos who refuse to assimilate and learn our language? The ones who do not know English are here ILLEGALLY in the first place! Shame on this school for bending over backwards and taking the Mexican infusion up the wazoo... like a good little slave school to Mexico.
Mexico has NO BUSINESS sending us people, curriculum or drugs and they are not our friends people!

Darrell,

You obviously know nothing about Ms. Schore, her school-aged children, or her tireless efforts to bring equity to PPS. I Know from personal experience that she has far far more understanding of the situations than you do. The problem is that PPS administrators cannot accept criticism and rely on a close-knit set of people with personal financial interests. Ms Schore continues to uncover these machinations and abuse of federal funds that were supposed to go combat segregation, but have been wasted or forfeited. You are the uninformed person here.

RK

Lynn Schore has been very supportive and involved in Jefferson, so Principal Harris's refusal to communicate with her on those grounds is entirely unjustified. It's too bad though that involvement in Jefferson wasn't a prerequisite for being appointed to Vicki Phillips's Jefferson redesign team. If it had been, more design team members would have opposed the reorganization into 4 small academies, like JHS PTSA President Glenda Walker who testified against the superintendent's proposal at the school board hearing. Read her testimony here:
http://www.neighborhoodschoolsalliance.org/node/28

If the school board had listened to the PTSA president and other Jefferson parents as well as to the students and teachers who testified against another reorganization, the school would be on the right track by now.

I believe that immigration to the United States and public schools are two of most important cornerstones of America. The creative genius of immigrants to the United States, competing on the level playing field of public education, is the engine that drives American cultural, scientific and business innovation. Public education is the great equalizer.

Those who are telling Lynn Schore to "get a life" are obviously unaware of the amount of time and effort she had dedicated to Jefferson HS and its feeders over the LAST SEVERAL YEARS, starting well before Cynthia Harris came to town. (See above for a link to Willamette Week to learn more!) The uproar is not about "her own personal feelings," it is about a PATTERN of discrimination by PPS officials, starting with Leon Dudley. That is why "leaving the district out of it" is not an option. Besides, Dr. Harris was speaking as a District official, not as a private citizen, at that meeting. Race is the elephant in the livingroom that PPS has spent too long trying to ignore. Bravo to Lynn for taking a stand!

The school district has a sick relationship with the Jefferson community. PPS discriminates against black students and parents because they're black, and against white parents and others because they're not black.

I ask you, in what other part of the district would PPS limit parent representation on a school's design team in favor of community leaders, such as a State Senator, who were selected for the color of their skin rather than for their involvement in the school?

After reading this story in conjunction with the Jena 6 situation I was very saddened. People with the educational levels of this principal and the prosecutor in Jenna should be leading our country out of bigotry, not reeducating us in some of its worst aspects. It is shameful that we have allowed persons such as these in positions of leadership and that little is being done to remove them. I would hate to think that a person like Ms. Harris would have any influence over any children of mine. As a side note to people who think like Darrell; Black parents do not have to earn any right to have a say in any school their children attend. Neither do white parents of students have to earn any right to have a say in any school in which their children attend. There are no exceptions to this and I applaud Ms. Schore for her activism. If you sledge at a rock long enough it will break.

Charles Riley, you haven't the slightest clue what is going on in Jena.

Go to the New York Times, find the link the NYT gives today to the local Jena paper and their EXTREMELY detailed chronology of the situation, then READ it, and then tell me the school administrators are racist.

Educate yourself, man. It will take you ten minutes at best.

On the other hand, if you are black, or a self-hating white, don't bother.

For if you know white people, and especially Southern whites, are evil to the bone, there would be no reason at all to waste your time.

It is unfortunate that Dr. Harris so publicly revealed her discriminatory beliefs. Jefferson has been a revolving door and needs stability. However, it cannot be permitted for her to stay. Bigotry is bigotry no matter the color.