Columnist Says Race At Core of LFHS Principal Controversy

Race is at the core of the controversy surrounding the potential hire of Dr. Chala Holland as Lake Forest High School Principal. But a statement she allegedly made on a blog is in reference to a subject that just isn’t as relevant at LFHS as it is at Oak Park-River Forest High School, where Holland is currently Assistant Principal - writes Randy Blaser, a freelance columnist for Pioneer Press.

According to sources, Holland wrote on a blog: “beacons of racial inequities disguised by a false notion of meritocracy and the reality of white privilege and internalized racism” in relation to high school tracking. But with OPRF having a 25.5 percent black population while LFHS’ number is significantly lower at 1.2 percent - that is not a pressing topic here, but has been the subject of outrage surrounding the possible hiring of Holland, according to Blaser.

Read More: Controversy Surrounds Possible LFHS Principal Pick

Blaser tells the story of his friend’s son, who is white, and was advised to enroll in honors classes at OPRF, even if he struggled there as opposed to the regular classes, which include more of the school’s black population.

Holland’s alleged blog quote, before it was removed from the Internet, was “a lot of fancy words to point out a situation where a white student who probably merited a regular class placement was put in honors because ... his whiteness was deemed good enough to probably be OK in honors,” Blaser wrote.

“What is highly relevant in Oak Park about tracking – placement of kids in honors classes and an achievement gap between blacks and whites that has long been recognized as a local concern – is just not relevant to Lake Forest High School.”

A meeting to discuss the hiring of Holland drew a standing-room only crowd on Tuesday, even though it was scheduled for 7 a.m. on a morning after a three-day holiday. It was decided then the board of education will look further into the hiring of Holland before moving forward.

more via Pioneer Press

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