I read an article that was brought to my attention by my husband. It was an article that both angered me and reminded me that the more things change, the more they stay the same. The article, California school science project that connected race and IQ is pulled after complaints, talks about a high school science fair project that had to be pulled due to the racist nature of the project.

A C.K. McClatchy High School student who is part of the school’s elite Humanities and International Studies Program (HISP) put the project, titled “Race and IQ,” together. HISP, according to the Sacramento Bee, is a separate program at the school that is meant to encourage cultural awareness and helps to provide students with different perspectives on historic moments. The program has reportedly been criticized for its lack of racial and ethnic diversity.

The project was displayed in the fair on Monday, February 12, 2018. In comparing intelligence levels, the project reportedly questioned whether particular races were smart enough for the school’s magnet program and whether a racial disparity was justified. “If the average IQs of blacks, Southeast Asians, and Hispanics are lower than the average IQs of non-Hispanic whites and Northeast Asians, then the racial disproportionality in (HISP) is justified,” the hypothesis said. The student who conducted the experiment tested the theory by having a variety of unidentified teenagers with different racial backgrounds take an Internet IQ test. The projects final conclusion reportedly found that “the lower average IQs of blacks, Southeast Asians, and nonwhite Hispanics means that they are not as likely as non-Hispanic whites and Northeast Asians to be accepted into a more academically rigorous program such as HISP.” “Therefore the racial disproportionality of HISP is justified.” Needless to say, some students, parents, and faculty were outraged, complained, and the project was finally removed from the science fair on Wednesday.

There are so many things wrong with this whole incident, and so many questions to be answered. According to the article, Sacramento City Unified School District is investigating the incident and that “we are looking into the appropriate response to a situation like this.” In a Thursday email to parents, the school’s principal Peter Lambert said they were taking the “incident very seriously” and noted that the school strived to “promote and embrace an inclusive environment and way of thinking which excludes any form of discrimination.” Being that the case, here is my question that needs to be answered, “Why did the project even make it to the science fair in the first place?”

This project would have never made it to Monday if the teacher had done his/her job. The teacher should have never approved the project, let alone, allowed it to have moved forward. As teachers, we are the frontline to everything that happens behind us. Yes, certain things are out of our control. I get that. But, racial and cultural sensitivity, ethnic responsibility, nondiscriminatory practices, and recognizing and embracing diversity is every bit within our control! As teachers, we are the role models. It is our responsibility to not only exhibit these qualities and practices, but to teach them to our students. Not only to teach, but to expect students to act and behave in kind.

Although I am glad the project was removed from the science fair, I hope and pray that the school district and principal know that their job is far from over. Both the student and the teacher need training. As one writer so poetically puts it, “pernicious views don’t disappear through censorship. They disappear when those who hold them are taught actual facts.” I will add to that by stating, “pernicious views don’t disappear through censorship. They disappear when those who hold them are taught actual facts, racial and cultural sensitivity, ethnic responsibility, nondiscriminatory practices and recognizing and embracing diversity!”