Segregation in Public Education

Totally ignoring the administration's responsibility to teach all the students at White Station, Marshall Bryant whimpers to the public how they would appear much better academically if the administration could choose which students they desire to teach. Marshall Bryant in no way makes any apologies for their inability to teach some students and directly states: "Separated test data would have reflected our performance more accurately."

Following is the submission of Tim Wheat to the Commercial Appeal:

TO THE EDITOR:

The White Station Elementary School Principal directly accuses students for the school administration's failures. Marshall Bryant singles out the hearing impaired students and claims without quantification that age/grade appropriate TCAP tests to self-contained hearing impaired students "lowered the test results."

The principal objects to treating the self-contained class as typical students and proposes that some students should be tested "on their instructional level." The two standards, Bryant argues, would "have reflected our performance more accurately."

If all students are not included in the evaluation standards, however, then the standards become meaningless. Not only would White Station's performance be inaccurately reported, the administration would have no incentive to actually teach students with hearing impairments. The White Station Principal's comments clearly reflect this desire to pick and choose, which students get an education, and which students will be "self-contained."

Segregation is inherently unequal. That is as true for students with disabilities as it is for students of different race. Marshall Bryant should not be tolerated to shirk the responsibility to teach all the students at White Station even if the administration does not like the test results.