Some parents of Hispanic students at a local elementary school were angered last week after receiving a letter from that school's principal asking for more information about their race.
The letter was meant to be innocent and was aimed at complying with new federal requirements that school districts gather further information about Hispanic students as part of their race and ethnicity reporting standards. The letter offered little explanation other than telling Hispanic students that they must choose from a list of five options regarding what races applied to them. The choices were:
*American Indian or Alaskan native
*Asian
*Black/African American
*Native Hawaiian or other Pacific islander
*White
The problem is that the letter made it sound like the student must choose to be a race other than Hispanic, leading some parents to become angry that their child's Hispanic origins were seemingly deemed not good enough for the government or the school. A simple search of the issue at the U.S. Department of Education website showed a more detailed explanation of why the information was needed and should have been included in the letter.
A sample of the letter also showed a question left out of the Mustang letter, which allowed students a chance to choose Hispanic as a primary choice. The second race question, the only one that appeared in the letter, was aimed at seeing if the child's family identified with other racial groups.
Hispanic families are understandably sensitive to the government's intrusion into their lives. Many of their families have been in our country for generations — but unfortunately they are often still eyed with suspicion in the current political climate where illegal immigration remains a concern for the nation and a political football for politicians.
Mistakes were made in the letter. It was not drafted with the care it needed, and its dismissive tone further amplified parents' anger. It is also clear, though, that the letter's origin and intent were benign. School officials can and should do better.