“White Privilege Survey” homework controversy

Aloha, Ore. (KATU) — “White Privilege Survey” — a one page questionnaire with a provocative title. Professor Randy Blazak said, “Education is supposed to be provocative. I mean the way we get people to kinda challenge assumptions about the world is to provoke them.”

But when Jason Schmidt’s son, a senior at Aloha High School came home with the survey he wasn’t happy. “I feel he should be learning actual education and not be a part of some social experiment or teacher’s political agenda,” said Schmidt.

But according to Blazak it’s a survey that starts a bigger conversation, “It’s a great way to open up this conversation and it’s not too soon to discuss this issue.”

Parents like Sarah Rios-Lopez said it’s a discussion she wants her kids to have, “I want her to have opinions, you know, whether for or against you have to create those but you can’t create those without good information and that’s what I would applaud teachers getting out that information to kids.”

Rios-Lopez is an American, but she said because of the color of her skin most people see “Mexican” first. “We are first of all judged by the color of our skin. That is what people see first.” Which is why she said seniors about to head out in the world should be talking about the realities of race in America. “it’s a huge topic and it needs to start somewhere, if it doesn’t start now, it’s not going to start.”

But Schmidt sees it differently. He said, “With the amount of money that we have to pay for schools they should be educating not indoctrinating our students to the latest political fad or political agenda that a teacher wants to get across.”

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