How Well Do Schools Handle Conversations About Race?

Race has been an inflammatory subject in local schools over the past few months.

On Friday, about 150 Hopkins High School students walked out to protest what called the school’s unfair treatment of minority students.

The protest followed news the week before that prosecutors had charged two Hopkins students with misdemeanors after a confrontation in the assistant principal's office over the school’s handling of an incident in which they say several white students mocked black culture.

The two students accused Hopkins ski team members of organizing a "ghetto spirit day." The ski team members say it was actually called “rapper day.”

Hopkins is not the only school facing such controversies. In March, about 300 South High School students from the All Nations Program, which offers American Indian-specific programming at the school, walked out to protest the lack of visibility of the program. Students weren’t allowed back in school until community activists convinced the school to let them get their jackets and keys.

Race is not an easy issue to talk about. On the one hand, prejudice remains a real issue that causes real harm. On the other hand, misunderstandings can and do arise from simple miscommunication.

Patch wants to know how well you think your schools and the students in them handle this touchy subject. Do discussions about race at your school lead to greater harmony and understanding? Or are they full of insensitivity on one side or oversensitivity on the other?

Share your thoughts in the comments below.